Drained
by Suki59
Summary: This interrupts Book 1 and finds Sookie discovering a dark mystery. She fears for her life and goes to Eric Northman for help.
1. Chapter 1

**Charlaine Harris owns these characters.**

I sat shivering in my car in the Fangtasia parking lot even though it wasn't cold at all. I was scared-more scared that I could remember ever feeling. My world had been turned upside down in a matter of hours and I didn't know where else to turn—that's how I found myself in the parking lot of Eric Northman's bar.

I'd come here hoping he could help me, but the "closed for repairs" sign on the door and the empty parking lot gave me a foreboding feeling.

I couldn't remember how long it had been since I'd felt good about anything, actually. It seemed the past few months had just been a long blur of grief and fear. I guess it had all started back when Bill first got sick.

He'd begun to lose his strength very gradually, and only admitted that something was wrong when I pointed out that he was paler than usual and seemed tired a lot, which made no sense. Vampires didn't usually have variations in health. He stopped feeding from me and sleeping with me in case he had something contagious. He got so weak that he couldn't even leave his house and I had to deliver his True Blood to him. I encouraged him to drink more than he felt he needed, hoping it would renew his strength, but his health continued its steady decline.

The night I found Bill's house empty, I called the sheriff's office to report him missing, but they said they'd have to wait 48 hours before opening an investigation. I was sick with worry, knowing Bill had been in no condition to defend himself, but I had no idea what I could possibly do to try and find him. I knew so little about the world of vampires, Bill having been the only one I'd ever really known.

It occurred to me one day to contact Eric Northman. I'd met him once at his bar in Shreveport shortly after I'd started dating Bill. Bill told me he was the sheriff of the area and so I hoped that meant he had some sort of law enforcement experience and could help me find Bill. But before I had a chance to drive up to speak with him, I got the news that a man had been arrested in Shreveport for kidnapping and draining Bill.

Sheriff Bud Dearborn came to the house one afternoon to tell me and seemed sincere when he said he was sorry for my loss. I was still reeling from my grandmother's murder only months before and couldn't seem to process the information that Bill was gone for good. I didn't cry for two days, and went about my life as if nothing had changed.

It finally hit me when I was trying to fall asleep one night and I cried all night. The next day, I called my brother, Jason, and told him what had happened. He'd never been a huge fan of Bill's, but he could tell I was hurting and told me how sorry he was.

I was getting ready for work when I got a call from a man named Michael McManus who identified himself as the district attorney of Shreveport.

"Ms. Stackhouse, I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm afraid I have some more bad news to deliver," he said.

I couldn't imagine what could be worse than learning of Bill's death, but he went on.

"The man who was arrested for the kidnapping and murder of Bill Compton has committed suicide in jail. Sadly, you won't have the satisfaction of a trial and seeing the man put behind bars."

"How could he commit suicide if he was in jail?" I asked. I thought they watched the prisoners so things like that couldn't happen.

"I'll spare you the gruesome details. I can tell you that this man had a record and had been arrested for draining vampires before. He was a known dealer in vampire blood and probably an addict himself. He was a very bad man."

"You know, Bill was sick before he was kidnapped, and now I'm wondering if that was a coincidence."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, was the drainer from around here? Did he know Bill? Could he have made him sick somehow to weaken him? Or at least known he was sick? I know it sounds crazy, but I guess I just still have a lot of unanswered questions."

"Well, I'm afraid we may never get the answers because the man who was responsible is gone now. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you for letting me know, Mr. McManus."

"Please don't hesitate to call if I can be of service to you."

Even though I'd had no sleep and was exhausted from crying all night, I still went into work. I needed to feel like my world was still somewhat normal and work helped keep me sane.

I was about halfway through my shift when Sam came to me and said there were two men from the BVA who wanted to talk to me. I pulled up a chair at their table and introduced myself.

I was so tired that their names went in one ear and out the other. One said they were in Bon Temps closing up the investigation into Bill's death. As he was rattling on about the suicide of the suspect, I caught from his brain that he liked my breasts and that it had been months since he'd had sex. I was used to inner monologues like that from men and ignored it.

My mind naturally wandered to the other man—the one who wasn't speaking, and my breath caught in my throat as I heard him think _If all of them are as easy to kill as Bill Compton, we should have this wrapped up in a few months_.

I interrupted the man who was talking. "Um…can I ask you some questions? I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name," I said.

"Pete. Of course."

"Bill was sick before the kidnapping. He was very weak."

_Yeah, silver poisoning will do that to a vamp_. "Really? I wasn't aware of that," he responded innocently.

"Do you think the kidnapper knew that somehow?"

_Well, yeah, since we did the kidnapping. _"There's no way to know that, I'm afraid, since the man has died."

My heart began to race, but I focused on staying cool. "I don't know much about vampires, I'm afraid. Bill was the only one I've known. Is it common for them to get sick?"

_They're all getting sick from the silver nitrate in True Blood. And they'll all be dead soon enough._ "Well, there are a number of viruses that can affect them."

"Oh, I didn't realize that. I just wish I had done something … you know … helped him somehow. I just didn't know what to do."

_Well, I'm buying a house in Aruba and planning an early retirement as soon as the scum are all dead. _"There's probably nothing you could have done. Please don't worry yourself."

Pete stood and handed me his card, saying, "Please call us if you have any questions. We're closing the case now that the perpetrator is dead."

I thanked them and shook Pete's hand. In the moment we touched, I saw an image of Bill pale and lifeless with a tube coming from his arm as he lay on a cold stone floor. I turned and shook the nameless man's hand and saw an image of a meeting in some sort of conference room with about ten people in dark suits. It was too quick for me to see any faces.

As soon as they'd left, I ran into Sam's empty office and sat down. My heart was beating wildly and I could feel the sweat on my upper lip. The men from the Bureau of Vampire Affairs had kidnapped Bill and probably drained him until he was dead. And apparently, he had not been sick, but likely poisoned. No wonder his condition had worsened when he stopped feeding from me and drank more True Blood.

I had no idea what silver nitrate was, but I knew that vampires could be subdued with silver, so it made sense that drinking True Blood with some sort of derivative of silver in it would make them sick.

I knew I had to tell someone what I'd discovered. More vampires were likely sick and being drained at that very moment. I pulled my cell phone out of my apron pocket and began to scroll through my numbers.

The thought of trying to explain myself to a dimwit like Bud Dearborn was not appealing. Like everyone else in this town, he thought I was crazy. And he'd been completely worthless in investigating Bill's disappearance.

I came to my recent calls and hit "call" when I saw Michael McManus's number. He was the district attorney in Shreveport—someone of much higher authority than Bud Dearborn. He answered, fortunately, and I began to tell him my story. When he asked me how I knew what I told him, I said that I'd overheard the men from the BVA talking at their table.

"You did the right thing in calling me, Ms. Stackhouse. I'll look into this right away."

"Thank you so much."

"Have you called anyone else?"

"No."

"Good. For your own safety, please don't mention this to anyone else."

"Okay."

He assured me that he would take my story very seriously and I hung up feeling a little less shaky.

I finished my shift and left for home more exhausted than usual since I'd had no sleep the night before. I let my shields down as soon as I left the bar, which was a good thing, because as I approached my house, I "heard" people.

I pulled over and parked on the side of the road and watched the entrance to Hummingbird Road for a moment. An unmarked police-looking car turned and drove towards my house, and I knew that there were even more people waiting for me there.

I turned around and drove towards the interstate and got on, heading nowhere in particular. Had the men in Merlotte's sensed that I knew what was going on? I began to panic.

I pulled my cell phone from my purse and called Michael McManus again.

"Ms. Stackhouse. How are you?"

"Not good, Mr. McManus. There are police cars at my house. I think those men from the BVA are having me arrested or something. What should I do? Can you help me?"

I realized I'd left Pete's card in Sam's office at work and didn't know his last name, so I couldn't tell Mr. McManus who he was.

"Yes, of course. Don't worry. Everything will be alright. I'm getting into my car now and can meet you in Monroe in about 30 minutes."

I looked up to see a sign on the interstate: Monroe 12 miles.

"How did you know I was headed towards Monroe?"

There was a beat of silence before he answered, "I didn't. Is that where you are?"

I closed the phone, rolled my window down, and chucked the phone out the window.

I took the next exit, and found a windy back road that lead me towards the road to Shreveport. I decided that I needed to pay a visit to Eric Northman.

I'd been afraid of Eric when I first met him and didn't think I could trust him, but sadly, he seemed like the safest bet for me at the moment. If I could tell him what I'd learned from the BVA agents, maybe he could investigate it himself and maybe he could protect me until this was straightened out. I knew I couldn't go home.

As scared as I was, my fear actually increased when I pulled into the Fangtasia parking lot and saw the sign indicating that it was closed. Eric was my last hope and I had no idea what was going on here.

I parked my car and closed my eyes and focused, trying to control my fear. I felt a human and a void where a vampire should be. I got out of my car, heading for the front door of the bar. My knees felt wobbly and I felt drained—drained of hope. I approached the door and wondered whether I'd made a mistake coming here for help. But I had no idea what else to do. I raised my hand and knocked on the door.


	2. Chapter 2

After I'd knocked on the door to Fangtasia, I looked around the empty parking lot and tried to suppress the wave of dread that came over me. The sign on the door said the bar was closed for repairs, but I somehow knew that was unlikely.

I held the mace that I kept on my keychain and turned the little cap to the "on" position. Bill had talked me into getting the mace since I left work so late some nights.

I closed my eyes and felt for a brain inside as I knocked on the door again. I "heard" a man inside thinking of a pastrami sandwich and hoping I was Saundra. He also thought of a pale Eric Northman lying on a floor unable to move.

"Who is it?" he called out.

"Saundra."

He opened the door and I sprayed him in the face.

He screamed and covered his eyes with his hands as he backed up. I stepped into the room, closing the door behind me as I watched him trip and fall backwards onto a table and chair, hitting his head, and then finally landing on the floor with a loud thud.

I crouched down and looked at him. I could feel his brain sleeping and knew he wasn't dead, but I was glad he seemed to be unconscious.

I followed the void down a hallway and opened a door to reveal a small office. Eric Northman was lying on the floor on his back and looked completely dead.

He was wearing a black tank top and dark jeans and his face was paler than even a vampire's should be. His arms were outstretched to his sides and one of them had a small needle and a plastic tube protruding from the bend of his inner arm. The tubing was a couple of feet in length and capped with a light blue plastic cap. The tube itself was blood red. He was being drained.

I had to act quickly since I knew Saundra was expected back and I had no idea how long her friend would be unconscious.

I knelt and pulled the needle out of Eric's arm and watched the tiny hole close almost instantly. Then I shook Eric hard by the shoulders.

"Eric! Wake up!"

His eyes fluttered open, but then closed again.

"Eric! Help me! It's Sookie Stackhouse. We've got to get out of here!"

I yanked on his arms, pulling him into a sitting position. His eyes were still closed, but he pushed himself onto his knees and tried to stand. I got under his arm and helped as best I could, and amazingly, he was on his feet and we were stumbling for the front door in no time.

I unlocked the car and opened the rear door and Eric kind of tumbled onto the back seat. I pushed his legs in and he curled into a fetal position as I closed the door. I tried to drive slowly as I exited the parking lot so I wouldn't draw attention to myself. My hands were shaking and I didn't even realize I was crying until I was getting onto the ramp of Interstate 20, heading east.

I tried to focus my thoughts as I drove. I had obviously stepped into a mess. There was some sort of conspiracy to kill vampires by poisoning them and then draining them. I imagined that the sale of the vampire blood might be financing the addition of the silver nitrate into True Blood, which made perfect sense.

I wondered who exactly was in on the conspiracy—obviously agents of the BVA and the D.A. of Shreveport. How high did this go, I wondered. As my adrenaline rush subsided, I realized my immediate need was to get my car off the interstate and find a safe place for Eric to rest for the day.

I figured if the authorities were at my house waiting for me, chances were they were also looking for my car. I saw a sign for a town called Rayville and took the exit.

I couldn't think of anyone who might be able to help me. My bright idea was getting Eric Northman to help, and he was now quite helpless in my back seat. I kept turning off of the main streets onto smaller and smaller roads until I was quite lost.

I saw a battered old mailbox and turned into a dirt driveway, heading through a wooded area. As I came to a small clearing, I could see by the moonlight an old ramshackle house, clearly abandoned. One side of the house was slightly caved in where the roof had collapsed.

I parked and got out of the car and marched up to the door. There were three little windows on the front door and the glass panes in all three were missing. I reached into one and unlocked the door.

It was too dark inside to see what I was doing, so I went back to the car and found my flashlight in the glove compartment. I left my purse and half-dead vampire in the car.

I stepped inside the house and followed the hallway to a kitchen. Once inside the kitchen, I found the door to the basement and started down a staircase right out of a horror movie. I knew no one was inside the house after "listening" for brains, but still, I was scared to death as I descended the stairs.

Just as I'd hoped, I found a windowless basement—a perfect place to stash a vampire for the day.

I went back to the car and opened the back door. It felt too loud to yell at Eric like I had at Fangtasia, so I climbed on top of him and put my mouth to his ear.

"Eric!" I whispered.

He groaned in response.

"I found a place for you to rest safely, but you have to help me."

He stirred and I climbed off of him and pulled his arms until he was sitting up. As I pulled him from the car, I got underneath an arm and he leaned on me as we walked up to the front porch.

I stood him against the wall beside the door and said, "Stand here." I stepped over the threshold, just inside the door and said, "Eric, please come inside."

He seemed to sense me when I took his arm again and we went inside. As we headed down the steps to the basement, I said, "Grab the handrail," and he and I slowly and carefully made our way down the steps. I pointed the flashlight towards an old sofa and he stumbled over to it and fell onto it, lying on his back.

"That was good. I'll be right back," I said, but got no response.

I went back upstairs and retrieved my purse and locked my car even though there was clearly no one around. Then I went back down to the basement, closing the door behind me. I set my purse on an old washing machine and scanned the room with my flashlight to make sure there were no windows or other doors in the room before I climbed onto Eric's body and collapsed.

I turned off the flashlight and set it on the floor beside the sofa and amazingly, went right to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke, I was freezing and had to pee. It took me a second to remember where I was as I tried to snuggle further into Eric's cold, hard body. But there was no warmth to be had from Eric, of course.

I reached down to the floor and turned on the flashlight before getting off of Eric who was actually an excellent mattress in spite of his cool temperature. I climbed the steps and opened the door, but quickly closed it behind me since it was already morning. I could see the interior of the house better in the early light than I had the night before.

The house was empty and cold. The gray sky showed through the gaping hole in the living room ceiling and part of one wall had crumbled from the rain damage. I avoided the debris on the floor and found my way to a bedroom and then a bathroom beyond that. I turned on both faucets at the sink, but nothing came out. Okay, so I guess it was too much to hope for running water here at my own private Hilton Hotel.

I went back out the front door and walked past the car and down a little slope, following the sound of running water that wasn't helping my very full bladder, and came to a lovely little creek where and found a bush to squat behind.

I was thirsty but wasn't sure if I should drink the water in the creek. I opted not to and went back up to the car. I fished my keys from the pocket in my shorts and opened the trunk. There was the navy blue dress I'd picked up from the cleaners after wearing it to church last week and the old quilt I kept in the trunk in case of an impromptu picnic.

I pulled the quilt out and went back to bed. I woke a little later, warm this time underneath my old quilt, and turned on the flashlight to study Eric's face. He was obviously in his daytime rest, but I could see that he was sick like Bill had been. His skin was very pale and there was just a kind of a haggard look to him. I wondered if vampires all over the country looked like this now. I felt guilty because I'd fallen asleep before offering him my blood, which he clearly needed.

I was hungry and wondered how much cash I had with me. I got up and set the flashlight on the washing machine and opened my purse, found my wallet and counted out sixty-seven dollars. I had a credit card, but didn't think I should use it. I'd seen enough spy movies to know I could be tracked through my credit card use if the bad guys were smart enough. And I had a feeling these bad guys were plenty smart.

I went over to Eric and reached into his pants pockets. Nothing. I felt behind him and into first one back pocket and then the other. No wallet, but wow, he had a lovely behind. I figured that the drainers had most likely robbed him as well. He wasn't wearing a watch or jewelry, so we had nothing of value to sell either. My own watch cost me eleven dollars at Walmart. I wondered how long we could hide here with sixty-seven dollars.

I was starting to feel overwhelmed with no money and a sick vampire and some scary people looking for me, but I remembered hearing somewhere—an old Star Trek movie I think—survival is the first order of business.

I went upstairs and got into my car and drove away in search of food.

I was careful to take note as I found my way to a main road so I could get back to Eric. I drove east for about ten minutes until I came to a tiny little downtown not unlike the downtown of Bon Temps.

I parked the car and got out to walk, passing Magnolia Grove Post Office and several small shops that were closed (it was only 9:30) before coming to a small white house that had been made into a quaint little restaurant. The sign out front just said "Amelia's."

I stepped inside and wished I'd at least run a brush through my hair. I was still wearing my Merlotte's t-shirt and shorts and probably looked like I'd slept in my clothes because I had.

I found a seat at the counter and a woman about my age with short brown hair approached me with a smile.

"Coffee?" she asked.

"Thank you, yes."

I ordered eggs and toast and grits and watched as a young man worked the kitchen alone. The brown-haired woman waited on the tables. This had once been a very nice little house. The living room and dining room had been gutted and opened up and the kitchen had been expanded and now it was a big open room with booths lining the walls. The people looked just like Merlotte's customers.

As I got my coffee refilled, the brown-haired woman said, "I'm Amelia."

"Sookie. Nice to meet you." I immediately wished I'd thought of a fake name. "I love your place here."

"Thanks. It's my dad's, actually. But I run it. You from around here? I haven't seen you before."

"No, I'm visiting my uncle. I'm from Shreveport." I wasn't used to lying—making up a life, and hoped it didn't show.

"Oh, great. Who's your uncle?"

"Bartlett Hale." Okay, so he was dead, but he had really been my uncle.

"I don't know him. Where does he live?"

Oh great, this was one of those towns where everybody knows everybody else. "Out by Hummingbird Road. I'm helping him fix up his house."

"Well, that's great. I hope we see more of you in here." She was wondering where Hummingbird Road was.

Amelia went back to her other customers and I finished my breakfast. She was bussing a table in the corner when I heard a glass break and she said, "Shit!"

I watched her holding her hand as she ran into the kitchen and over to the sink. The cook went to her and they ran her hand under the faucet for a minute until Amelia sat in the floor. The poor cook looked up and out to the dining room for some help.

I looked around and everyone was just looking into the kitchen, but no one was moving.

I got up and went into the kitchen and crouched beside Amelia, who was holding her wrist. Her thumb was dripping blood onto the floor and she looked very pale.

"I hate the sight of blood," she explained. "I'm feeling a little woozy."

"Just lay back," I said.

She flattened out onto the linoleum and I found a roll of paper towels, tore one off and began to put pressure on the cut on her thumb. Blood didn't bother me, obviously, or I wouldn't have had a vampire boyfriend.

A heavyset woman with blonde hair came into the kitchen and asked, "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, but I think she's going to need some stitches. The cut's pretty deep," I explained as I squeezed Amelia's thumb. The bleeding seemed to have slowed down.

"Want me to run you up to the emergency room, hun?"

"That would be great," I answered before Amelia had a chance to.

"I can't leave. I've got a room full of customers. Jake can't handle everything," Amelia said to no one in particular.

"I'm a waitress," I said. "I'll stay. Don't worry about a thing. We'll handle it until you get back. Right, Jake?" I looked up at the cook who looked a little panicked.

"Right. Don't worry, Amelia," he said.

"Are you sure?" she asked me.

"Absolutely. Here. Let's get you out to the car." I helped Amelia stand up and she squeezed her thumb as I released it. "Where are you parked?" I asked the blonde woman.

"Out front."

We got Amelia to the car and I assured her again not to worry. Then I went back in and got to work.

Jake was already cleaning up the broken glass and I went into the kitchen and cleaned the blood and washed my hands thoroughly before going out into the dining room to assess my customers.

For the next few hours, Jake and I took care of everyone. I was a little slow since I had to look up the prices on every ticket, but nobody complained. When people came in and asked where Amelia was, I just said she had to run out for a bit.

Amelia returned during the lunch rush and came to me as I was adding up a ticket.

"I can do that. Thank you," she said. She took over tallying the tickets and ringing the sales up while I continued waiting on the tables.

As the rush waned, she told me she had indeed needed stitches and showed me her bandaged hand.

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here. I can't thank you enough."

"It's no problem. I was happy to help out." And I was even happier to have a pocket full of tips.

As I cleaned off the last table, Jake set three bowls of vegetable soup on the counter and poured three iced teas. We sat and ate our lunches together, satisfied that we'd averted a little disaster here at Amelia's restaurant.

Jake was doing the last of the dishes when I excused myself to use the restroom.

"Just go through the office and use the bathroom behind it. Jake's going to mop the one out here," Amelia said.

I went in the direction she'd gestured and found the little bathroom beyond an office.

When I came out, Amelia said, "What can I do to repay you for today?"

"Actually, I have a strange request."

She cocked her head and waited.

"Could I possibly take a shower? I noticed you have one in that back bathroom and my uncle's house … well … it's being worked on, and the plumbing is out of order."

"Of course. Help yourself. There are clean towels in the cabinet underneath the sink."

The hot water felt heavenly, and then it felt rather yucky putting my clothes back on. I stole a squeeze of toothpaste from the medicine cabinet and did my best to clean my teeth with my finger. Then I brushed out my wet hair and went back out to the dining room. Jake was mopping the floor and Amelia was counting the money in the cash register. She set a little stack of bills on the counter.

"This is for today," she said.

"Take out enough for my breakfast and lunch."

"Employees eat free." She smiled a very sweet smile. "I know you're here to help your uncle, but would it be possible for you to come back tomorrow? I'm not going to be able to function well enough to wait on people for probably a week or maybe more. I guess I'll need to find someone, but until I do, can you come back?"

"Sure thing. What time should I be here?"

"We open at 7, so maybe a quarter 'til?"

"Sounds great."

I took my little stack of money and said good bye to Jake and Amelia after getting directions to a Target.

Then I went shopping.

I bought a tiny battery-operated alarm clock so I would wake up in time to get to work in the morning, several pairs of panties and two bras, another pair of shorts and three t-shirts, and a pack of little ankle socks. I decided candles were more economical than batteries for my flashlight, so I added a box of candles and a lighter for the basement. I also got a toothbrush, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, disposable razors and deodorant. I tossed in a case of bottled water and a flat bed sheet and headed for the check-out.

When I got outside, I found a pay phone and got the number for The Shreveport Times. I called the number and loaded the phone with change. I asked to speak to a reporter that handled vampire news and a man introduced himself as C.J. Hinkton.

"I'm at a pay phone, so I have to be fast," I said. "Please listen carefully. Somehow True Blood has been tainted with silver nitrate, poisoning vampires. When the vampires are weakened, they're drained and their blood is sold. Look into the death of Bill Compton in Bon Temps. The drainer who was arrested died in jail in Shreveport before his trial and I don't think it was a suicide. The BVA is in on the poisoning and so is the D.A. of Shreveport, Michael McManus."

"Who is this?"

"I'm afraid to tell you my name. Be very careful. These people are dangerous. I'll try to call you again tomorrow and see what you've found out."

I hung up and retrieved the coins that were returned to me. Then I drove back to Eric, my very sick vampire.


	4. Chapter 4

When I got back to the house after working at Amelia's, I changed into the dress I had in the trunk and washed my clothes out in the little creek. I wasn't sure how long I'd be camping here in this house and wanted my limited wardrobe to last as long as possible. I hung the wet clothes in the bathroom and decided I'd wear the dress as my nightgown since it was fairly loose-fitting and comfortable.

I set the candles on the top of the washing machine and lit them, saving my flashlight battery. Then I opened the sheet and began to drape it over the sofa where Eric lay. It was a challenge getting it underneath him since he was just dead weight, but I finally managed to do it and felt a little better about our sleeping on the filthy old sofa. At least now we'd be on a clean sheet.

I pulled the quilt over me and found my spot on top of Eric and drifted in and out of sleep, exhausted from my day. I became vaguely aware of a hand on my bare behind underneath my dress and figured that it must be after dusk and Eric was awake. I removed the hand and sat up a little to see Eric's face in the candlelight.

Eric's eyes were closed. I whispered, "Are you awake?"

His head gave a tiny almost imperceptible nod, but his eyes didn't open. I guess he'd exhausted his energy feeling my butt.

I pushed Eric's lip up to reveal his teeth, but his fangs weren't down. I touched one, but nothing happened.

"I need your fangs to come down, Eric."

There was no response.

"Didn't you just have your hand on my ass? How did that feel?"

They both plopped down with a little click. I knew it was a dirty trick, but it worked.

"That's good," I said.

I pressed my wrist to one of the fangs until it pierced the skin and then held my wrist to Eric's mouth.

His lips closed over the tiny wound and he sucked a little. I watched him swallow three times and then said, "Don't take too much, okay?"

He stopped sucking and I withdrew my wrist.

I watched his face and his eyes slowly opened and looked at me.

"That's better, huh?" I asked.

He didn't respond but just continued to stare at me.

"It's me, Sookie Stackhouse. Do you remember what happened to you?"

Eric's brow furrowed.

I sat up and climbed off of Eric and put the quilt back over him. Then I found an old folding lawn chair against the wall and set it up facing the sofa and sat down.

"We're in an abandoned house out in the country east of Shreveport. I think we're safe for now. You were being drained when I found you in Fangtasia. Do you remember?"

He didn't answer.

"I'm hoping you'll get your strength back from my blood, but we can't let you have too much at once. I need it too, you know."

Eric opened his mouth and I leaned in to hear him whisper, "True Blood."

I sighed. "Well, here's the thing. It turns out that True Blood has been tainted with silver nitrate. Were you getting sick before you were attacked by the drainers? You don't have to answer. I'd be willing to bet that you were."

I proceeded to tell Eric everything that had happened in the previous day and what I'd learned from the BVA agents. When I told him about Bill's death, I watched his eyes follow a tear as it rolled down my cheek.

Then I explained how I'd brought him here and had lucked into finding Amelia's restaurant which would allow us to stay hopefully long enough for Eric to recover and for that reporter in Shreveport to uncover the story and get the bad guys put away.

Eric never spoke, but just lay still and watched me as I talked, catching him up on our predicament.

I finally had to use the bathroom and excused myself to go outside to my favorite bush.

When I came back down, I set my little alarm clock and put it on the washing machine.

"Do you mind if I sleep on top of you? I guess I could sleep in the car, but I feel safer down here with you. I hope you don't mind. I need to get some sleep if I'm going to be up early to go to work."

I turned on my flashlight and blew out the candles. I moved the lawn chair to the side, removed my sneakers and climbed under the covers, carefully settling myself on top of my vampire mattress. As I turned off the flashlight and set it on the floor, Eric whispered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Eric."

I took his hand in mine and snuggled into his chest and soon I was fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The alarm woke me and I reached down and turned my flashlight on, then went to the washing machine to turn the alarm off. I went back and covered Eric with the quilt and studied his face. He looked the same—very pale. I wondered how long it would take a vampire to recover from silver poisoning as well as being almost drained dry.

It occurred to me that he could have killed me in my sleep and sucked me dry, and that might have sped up his recovery. Was I a fool to trust this vampire whom I barely knew? But then, I could also stake him right now and he'd never wake up. I guess we just had to trust each other to get through this.

I went upstairs to my very natural bathroom—used my favorite bush and brushed my teeth with bottled water. Then I went into the house and changed into a clean outfit and drove to work.

Amelia and Jake were sitting at the counter eating breakfast and Jake jumped up and poured me a cup of coffee and scooped me up a bowl of oatmeal with berries—just like theirs.

As we sat and ate, I asked about Amelia's thumb.

She answered, "It's okay. Although little things are a challenge—like getting dressed. I can't get it wet."

"Well, let me know if you need any help with anything."

"I guess you heard about that terrorist bombing in Shreveport yesterday," she said.

"What? No."

"The paper's on my desk."

I jumped up and ran into the office to retrieve the newspaper. The headline read: Shreveport Times Bombed. I felt sick to my stomach.

I returned to the counter and read the story while Jake cleaned up our dishes. Seven people were known to have died in the bombing and C.J. Hinkton was listed among the dead. Homeland Security suspected Muslim extremists, but I knew that those responsible were about as Muslim as I was.

I was fighting a wave of panic and trying to keep from crying when Amelia interrupted my thoughts and pointed to my wrist.

"What happened? Do you need a band aid?"

"Oh, yeah." I had forgotten about the tiny hole I'd made on my wrist to feed Eric. "I just got poked by an old nail yesterday when I was helping my uncle with the house. It's nothing."

"The band aids are in the bathroom." I could hear in her thoughts that she thought the wound was unsightly and she didn't want the customers grossed out.

"Thanks."

I returned the paper to Amelia's desk and found a band aid to cover the little wound and then went out to the dining room to begin my shift.

Fortunately, I was too busy all morning and early afternoon to think too much about the fact that I was indirectly responsible for the deaths of seven people in Shreveport.

After the restaurant closed and Jake, Amelia, and I had enjoyed a plate of the spaghetti special, I stayed a bit to help Amelia with a few chores.

I folded the laundry left in her dryer and put things away in her bedroom in the back of the house and then cleaned the bathroom I used before showering in it. I tossed my soggy band aid in the trash when I got out of the shower.

Before I left, Amelia paid me and gave me a little something extra for my chores.

"Could I trouble you to come back tomorrow?" she asked.

"Actually, if you can use me, I'd love to come every day until your hand is healed."

She squealed and gave me a little hug. "I was hoping you'd say that! Is it okay if I pay you in cash? If you'd prefer, we can fill out the paper work and have taxes taken out."

"No, really, cash is great. There's no need for the paper work since it's just short term. And for tomorrow afternoon, just make me a list of things you need done, okay? I'm happy to help out."

I stopped on the street and bought a paper to take home to Eric.

When I got home, I put my dress on and washed out my clothes in the creek before hanging them in the bathroom. Then I went downstairs, lit the candles and napped on my vampire.

When I woke up, I sat up a little and looked at Eric. His eyes were open and he gave me a very sweet smile. I smiled back and his fangs plopped down.

"Hungry?" I asked.

He nodded and I felt his hand take my wrist and pull it to his lips.

"Wait. We can't do it there again. Someone noticed today. It has to be somewhere that doesn't show."

He released my wrist and touched the collar of my dress as his eyes fell on my chest. I unbuttoned the first few buttons and exposed my chest, carefully keeping the fabric covering my nipples. Eric's thumb gently rubbed the swell of my breast and I bent forward and closed my eyes as he bit.

It stung at first, but as he sucked the tiny puncture wounds, I felt a distinct pull of lust between my legs. I closed my eyes and savored the feeling. Since Bill's illness and disappearance, it seemed all I'd felt were bad feelings, and this one good feeling swept me away.

Eric was quick, careful not to take too much, and as soon as he'd finished, he gently licked the tiny holes. Then he brought my wrist to his mouth, letting the fabric of my dress fall away from my body slightly as he took my arm away, and licked that little wound as well. My other hand was supporting my weight and so I just let the dress fall open.

I opened my eyes and watched his tongue as it bathed my wrist. Without my arm holding the dress to me, my nipples were exposed, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes were still half-closed from the pleasure of feeding. As soon as he finished tending to my wrist, I scooted down, lay my head on his chest and closed my eyes.

Eric wrapped his arms around me and I began to cry into his chest. I was so heartbroken over the loss of Bill, and so guilty about my sudden lustful feelings for Eric—a vampire I barely knew. Then, I thought of the people who had died in Shreveport because of my phone call and wept even harder.

"What is it, Sookie?" Eric's voice sounded a little stronger.

I sat up and buttoned my dress and stopped crying. Then I retrieved the newspaper from my purse and showed it to him as I pulled my lawn chair over and sat down.

"You know I called that reporter yesterday at The Shreveport Times and told him what was going on, and today he and six other people are dead."

Eric held the paper and read it in light too dim for human eyes. Then he looked back to me and said, "This isn't your fault."

"Of course it's my fault! I called that man thinking if the world knew what was going on, it would stop. The bad guys would lose. But that isn't what happened, is it?"

"I need you to call someone in New Orleans for me. Can you do that?"

"I don't know, Eric. Look what happened to the guy I called yesterday."

"These are vampires. We can trust that they won't be a part of the conspiracy to kill our kind, and they can investigate with better stealth. They have more experience and less trust than human reporters. Although I do think that your idea to tell the press is a good one. We just need to change our strategy a bit."

"Okay." I wiped my tears and got a pen and piece of paper from my purse. I felt a little better that he'd called it "our" strategy. It made me feel a little less alone.

Eric wrote a number down and said, "Ask for Rasul or Andre. Speak to no one else. Tell them all that you know me and that I am recovering, but don't disclose our location. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I took the paper and pen and put them in my purse. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Eric."

I drove to a pay phone by the post office and called the New Orleans number. A woman answered.

"Yes, hello. Can I please speak to Rasul or Andre?"

"They are indisposed. May I help you?"

"When will they be available? I really need to speak to one of them."

"I'm not sure, but I'll be happy to take a message."

"No thanks. I'll call back another time."

When I got back to Eric, I told him about the call. We agreed that it was quite possible that the vampires in New Orleans were either sick or drained as well. He explained their system of government to me and expressed his concern for the vampires in the palace.

"It is unlikely that they have had the good fortune of finding a kind human such as yourself to care for them. I have no idea, frankly, why you would care for me."

"Because you were sick … drained. It's not like I could just leave you there."

"Why not?"

I didn't even know how to answer that. Before I could think of a response, he continued.

"As you can see, we are extremely vulnerable when we're suffering from silver poisoning. I can't thank you enough for your protection and care. You've been extremely kind."

"Do you think all vampires are sick like this?"

"I don't know. I hardly drank True Blood, and yet I was poisoned. I can't imagine there are many vampires that drank none at all. We don't know how much of the supply was tainted. Was it only in Shreveport and the surrounding towns? In the entire state? Beyond that?"

"Good question. It's a little overwhelming to think about. Did you ever notice it tasted different?"

"No, but even a trace amount—undetected by taste and probably even harmless to humans, would be enough to make a vampire sick. We are very sensitive to silver, unfortunately. And without knowing the source of our illness, we would continue to drink the poisoned blood, making us even weaker."

"I kept making Bill drink more, thinking it would help him."

I bit my lower lip so I wouldn't cry thinking of Bill. Eric was quiet for a moment as well before he went on.

"I can feel that Pam, my child, is still alive, but she doesn't respond to my call. I'm very concerned for her."

"I'm sorry, Eric."

I went outside to use my bush and brush my teeth and then went down and got in bed again with Eric. As I turned the flashlight off, Eric said, "I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you. This is extremely frustrating for me."

"It's okay. I just hope you get better soon."

I took Eric's hand in mine again and held it to me like a security blanket and soon I was fast asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The following day at work went by quickly and I stayed afterwards to help Amelia with her chores again. As I was cleaning Amelia's office, I kept picturing Eric's tongue licking my wrist while my breasts were exposed to him. It made my heart beat a little faster to think of it, but then I'd feel a wave of guilt because of Bill.

While I was working in her office, I asked Amelia if I could use her computer to look something up and she said it was fine.

I made a list of news outlets and their mailing addresses—newspapers in big cities all over the country, plus the news desks of the major TV networks. When I was finished for the day, I drove back to Target and bought some envelopes and a writing pad.

I was craving meat—probably because Eric had taken my blood two days in a row. Bill and I had tried to give me breaks between his feedings so I wouldn't get anemic, but Eric and I didn't have that luxury. He needed to get well as soon as possible. I found a little bar that reminded me of Merlotte's and ordered a hamburger and fries and sat at a table working on composing my letter.

The waitress interrupted me and set a beer in front of me saying, "This is from Arlen. He's sitting at the bar."

I looked up and glanced over to the bar to see a man in a baseball cap smiling at me. I caught from his brain an image of his mouth on my nipple. Yes, this was very much like Merlotte's.

"Please tell him no thank you," I said.

She was bored and worried about her daughter who had a fever. It made me think of Eric at home feeling sick and weak. I hurried and finished my burger and paid my bill before leaving, never looking back at Arlen.

I was distracted with thoughts of my unfinished letter and didn't notice the headlights behind me as I drove back to the house. It was past dusk and I knew Eric would be awake and hungry, so I was focused on getting to him and didn't hear the thoughts of Arlen behind me until I got out of the car and was hit with a loud image of me with my legs spread.

I was knocked to the ground from behind and my keys flew out of my hand. Arlen was on top of me in a flash, pinning me to the ground. I could see my keys just out of reach on the ground in front of me with the little canister of mace attached to the key chain. I wondered if any was left after macing Eric's drainer at Fangtasia.

I could feel Arlen's hands on me as he breathed into my ear, "You thought you were too good to drink with me? Now what do you think, bitch?"

I was so tired and so over this idiot grinding his little pecker into my butt. His hands were grabbing at my shorts.

"Don't you dare tear my shorts," I said. I only had two pairs.

I was trying to crawl towards my keys, but Arlen was too heavy.

"You don't have to do this, Arlen. I want you, and I won't fight you."

I could hear that he believed me for a split second and he put his weight on his arms which was all I needed to lunge forward and grab my key chain. Suddenly, Arlen was gone and I rolled onto my back, flipping the little sprayer to the "on" position with my thumb and aiming it towards where I thought Arlen should be.

But Arlen wasn't there. He was on his back a few feet away screaming like a baby because Eric was chewing hungrily on his neck while lying on top of him.

"Eric, stop!" I could see he was in full blood lust and had no intention of stopping. "Eric! Don't kill him!"

Arlen stopped screaming and seemed to be unconscious. Eric was terrifying and I was uncertain about interfering, wondering if he might hurt me. But I couldn't let him kill this man, even though he was a complete loser.

I knew my mace wouldn't stop Eric if he attacked me, so I dropped the key chain and crawled towards Eric and Arlen.

"Eric!"

He ignored me and kept loudly sucking Arlen's neck.

I reached out and put my hand on Eric's shoulder and pushed him away from Arlen, which was like pushing a tree.

"Eric, please."

Finally, he disengaged from Arlen's neck and looked me in the eye, blood all over his mouth and chin. I could see the wild lust in his eyes and then he pushed me onto my back and was on me before I could even register his movement. His mouth covered mine in a hard open-mouthed kiss; his tongue ravaged my mouth as his arms held me to him.

I closed my eyes and started to cry. His mouth left mine and he began to lick and nip at my neck. I was terrified and said, "Please don't kill me."

His whole body went stiff and his mouth stopped. I opened my eyes and he was looking at me with such intensity, blood smeared all over his face.

"No, Sookie. I would never hurt you." He began to kiss my face, my cheeks, nose, forehead. "I'm sorry. I scared you. No, I won't hurt you. I'm so sorry."

He rolled onto his back, still holding me, and I buried my face into his neck and wept. He kept stroking my hair and saying, "Shhh" and "I'm sorry."

I finally stopped crying and looked into his face. He looked worried as he asked, "You didn't really want him, did you?"

I almost laughed but I realized that he was serious. I'd learned from Bill that sometimes vampires missed certain subtleties in human communication and took things very literally.

"No. I was trying to trick him so I could get to my mace and attack him so he wouldn't hurt me."

"Okay."

"You scared me, Eric."

"I know. I'm so sorry. I was just feeling so strong after feeding from him—stronger than I've felt in months. And you're just so beautiful. Surely you know that I want you. I've wanted you since the night Bill brought you into the bar. But I would never hurt you—never force you."

Arlen moaned a tiny moan.

"Oh my god, Eric. What are we going to do with this guy?" I got off of Eric and sat up.

"Easy. We'll just take him somewhere and I'll glamor him. He won't remember anything."

I stood and picked up my keys and purse and opened the back door while Eric stood and lifted Arlen and placed him on the back seat. Eric got into the passenger seat and I began to back down the driveway until I came to Arlen's car.

"You drive this one. I don't want to be here if he wakes up," I said.

I got out and opened the back door and dug in Arlen's pockets until I found his keys.

With Eric following me, I drove Arlen's car back towards the bar where I'd first seen him and parked in the woods behind the bar. Eric carried Arlen and placed him in his car and I watched from my car as Eric got in his face and I assumed glamored him.

As soon as Eric was in my passenger seat, he asked, "Did you want me to take his money? I can go back."

"No. No, Eric, I don't want his money. I'm making money at Amelia's."

"I know, and I feel bad about that. You're working so hard every day and I'm not contributing anything."

I almost laughed at the thought of Eric's contribution to our partnership being biting and robbing people while I waited on tables. I guess we had different careers in our little temporary marriage.

"It's okay. I just want you to get better. I don't mind working."

As we drove back towards the house, Eric was very quiet and I wished I could hear his thoughts.

When we parked in front of the house, I turned to him and said, "Why don't you give me your t-shirt and I'll wash the blood out of it in the creek."

He pulled his tank top over his head and handed it to me. I couldn't read the expression on his face.

I took my shampoo bottle from my purse and took the shirt and the shampoo down to the creek. My own t-shirt had blood on it as well, so I removed it and worked on getting the blood out by the light of the moon. Once I had both shirts clean, I scooped up water in my hands and washed the blood from my face and neck, trying not to get my bra wet, but failing.

"I'm sorry I got blood on you," Eric said from behind me, making me jump in alarm.

"I thought you'd gone back in the house."

He appeared beside me and began to wash his face and neck as well.

I left him and went into the bathroom to put my dress on. I hung the wet shirts on the shower rod and took the rest of the clothes I'd had on back to the creek to wash them. Eric wasn't there.

I used the bush and brushed my teeth, then took my wet clothes into the bathroom to hang them. I made sure the car was locked up and took my flashlight down to the basement.

Eric was lying on the sofa shirtless and I felt a little wave of lust. He was an exceptionally handsome man. I didn't light the candles, but set the alarm and just climbed on top of Eric, pulling the quilt over us.

As I turned off the flashlight and set it on the floor, Eric said, "I hate feeling like this."

"How do you feel?"

"Weak."

"I'm sorry. But you seemed so much better tonight."

"I was, but I'm afraid I've drained my strength. I was showing off—trying to impress a girl."

I smiled into Eric's bare chest. "Thank you for saving me from that guy."

"You're welcome. Were you afraid of him?"

"Yeah."

"I couldn't tell. You're so brave."

"I don't feel very brave. I feel scared."

I was almost asleep when I heard Eric whisper, seemingly to himself, "I hate having feelings."

And then I was out.


	7. Chapter 7

I had a normal and busy day at work, but Amelia didn't have any special chores for me afterwards, so I took a very long, hot shower and went home.

I washed my clothes out and sat on the porch steps in my dress working on my letter in the last of the daylight. I explained all I knew about the True Blood being tainted and about Bill's death. I didn't mention Eric's poisoning and draining—no need for anyone to go poking around Fangtasia. I named Shreveport's D.A. as well as the BVA as conspirators and asked for an investigation into the death of the man accused of draining Bill.

Then, I gave a stern warning about the safety of the reporters and explained how the Shreveport Times had been bombed on the same day I'd given this information to their reporter who covered vampire news.

I listed all the newspapers and TV networks who were getting a copy of the letter, hoping that the scope of the investigation would be the protection of the individuals who were doing the investigating.

I started addressing the envelopes, but it got too dark, so I put all my paperwork back into my Target bag.

I heard the door behind me open and turned to see a shirtless Eric smiling down at me.

"No bad guys for me to bite tonight?" he asked with a tease in his voice.

"Not tonight."

He sat on the steps beside me and I was struck by how beautiful he looked in the moonlight.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as I began to unbutton my dress. I held one side open so he could bite me.

He looked down at the bare skin of the top of my breast and licked his lips. "Better." He leaned down to my chest and said, "Thank you," just before he bit me. I wasn't sure if he was thanking me for inquiring about his health or for offering myself to him.

I closed my eyes and wondered if I was perverted to enjoy this. As soon as Eric had licked the little wound, he buttoned my dress back up.

I opened my eyes and he was smiling at me. He asked, "Would you like to go for a walk?"

I wasn't expecting that question. "Are you sure you're feeling up to it?"

"Yes. I think the fresh air will do me good."

Eric stood and offered me his hand to help me stand. He didn't let it go when we started to walk away from the house and towards the woods.

"Would you like to get your flashlight? Can you see well enough?" he asked.

"No, I'm okay. The moon is really bright tonight." I looked up to see that it was quite full and glowing.

"Beautiful," he said.

"Yes, it is." I looked over to Eric, but he wasn't looking at the moon. He was looking at me.

"So, how was your day?" he asked.

I was glad he'd changed the subject. I told him the mundane details of my day at work. It was good to talk about something so unimportant. I was so tired of worrying about what was going on out there in the real world.

I asked him about Fangtasia and how he had come to open it. Then I listened as he recalled happier days of starting a business. But when he began to talk about Pam, his enthusiasm waned and he became very quiet for awhile.

We just walked and held hands in silence until I suggested we head back to the house.

Eric turned us down towards the creek and we walked along its banks. When we came to a large rock, Eric stopped and offered for me to sit. I did and he sat beside and a little behind me and began to run his fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes.

"I want to ask you something, Sookie." His fingers didn't stop combing through my hair.

"What is it?" I didn't open my eyes.

"I'd like for you to take my blood."

I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Why?"

"I want to be able to feel you—to protect you. Last night, I heard the man trying to hurt you. But if something happened and you were too far away for me to hear …. I just want to make sure you're safe."

"Will it weaken you?" I asked.

"No. You only need a drop."

I looked out to the water. "It makes sense, I suppose. If something were to happen to me, you'd be stuck here with no one to feed from."

"Yes, that's true," he said.

I closed my eyes again and felt sad that we were in this predicament. I imagined it was hard for a vampire like Eric to admit he needed a human.

"But that's not why I want to protect you," he added.

Eric put his finger in his mouth and then put his arm around me and placed his finger in my mouth. I tasted the blood.

"It's because I care for you," he said as he kissed my neck and I sucked on his finger.

I felt his body shiver as he pressed himself into my back and held me to him. When he removed his finger, I turned my head and kissed his mouth. It was nothing like the blood-lust kiss from the night before. It was still passionate, but it was also gentle and slow. Our tongues lightly touched and then he pressed his lips firmly into mine.

I broke the kiss and faced the water again. Eric's lips found my neck again and his arms held me close to his body.

We sat like that for a long moment. It was the first time in a long time I'd felt really good and hopeful, and I wondered if it was because of the vampire blood I'd just ingested. I knew that people became addicted to it, and I could see why. But then I also wondered if I was feeling real feelings for Eric.

I was slightly shocked at myself and felt guilty because Bill had just died and I'd loved him. But then I thought that life is short and for the living and that almost made me laugh because the man who was holding me was not among the living.

"Is something funny?" Eric asked as he sat back a little. He kept his arms loosely around me.

"Not really," I answered out to the water. "I just feel good. Is that because of the blood?"

"I'd like to think it's because of the company."

"I need to get back and finish my envelopes." I decided I should change the subject.

Eric helped me off the rock and we started back towards the house again. He held my hand again.

When we neared the house, I said, "I'm going to brush my teeth and … um … use the … uh … bush. I'll meet you inside."

Eric went towards the house and I walked down to my bush.

When I got to the basement, Eric had lit candles and was sitting on the sofa reading my letter.

"Should I add anything? Change it?" I asked.

"No. It's good."

"I need to finish addressing the envelopes, but I'm tired. I'll do it tomorrow."

Eric stood and folded the letter, putting it back into my Target bag that I noticed he'd placed on the washing machine.

I sat on the sofa and watched him blow out the candles. It was pitch black but I sensed his coming to the sofa and I adjusted myself as he lay down with me. I found my usual position on top of him and he pulled the quilt over us and kissed the top of my head.

"Good night, Sookie."

"Good night, Eric."

I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent that I had grown accustomed to and soon found myself fast asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

After work the next day, Amelia asked me to stay and do a couple of loads of laundry for her. Once I'd showered and put the first load in the washer, I asked where I could go to make some photocopies.

"Just use my printer," she said. "It has a copy mode."

I ran off the eighteen copies I needed of the letter and pulled my envelopes out of the bag to finish addressing them. I was surprised to find that they'd already been addressed in what I assumed was Eric's handwriting. I pictured him working on them by candlelight while I slept and it gave me a little shiver. I found it sweet, even though I was certain Eric was generally not described as sweet.

I folded the letters and put them into the envelopes and sealed each one.

As soon as my first load of laundry was in the dryer, I walked up to the post office and bought stamps. Back at Amelia's, once the letters were all ready to go, I went back to Amelia's room and sat on her bed with her to watch TV while the clothes dried.

We just watched an old Oprah re-run, and then saw a little news as I folded her clothes and put them away. I hadn't seen any news of the outside world for days, and had a moment of hope that I'd see a story about the True Blood mess. But that didn't happen.

Once I'd finished Amelia's laundry and said good night, I drove to a gas station and filled the car. Then I began driving north. I wanted to avoid getting on the main roads or the interstate in case someone was looking for my car.

I didn't want a Louisiana postmark on the letters, so as soon as I crossed the Arkansas line, I began to look for a post office or mail box. I found a post office in a town called Wilmot and dropped my handful of letters in the box in the parking lot before beginning my drive back down to Magnolia Grove.

It was dark when I got back to town, so I stopped at the pay phone outside Target and called the palace in New Orleans again. This time a man answered and said that both Rasul and Andre were unavailable.

When I got home, Eric wasn't in the house, so I sat on the porch steps and waited for him. I thought he might have gone for a walk again. I had a sudden thought—what if he had been discovered and staked? He was so vulnerable here all day without me.

But just as I was beginning to panic, I saw him walking towards me from the direction of the creek and he was quite naked. All coherent thought left my mind. His pale, wet skin glistened in the moonlight and I tried not to stare at how perfectly he was built.

As he neared me, he smiled and said a soft, "Hi," as if he addressed me every day in his birthday suit.

"Hi," was all I could say.

He nonchalantly reached for the porch rail and retrieved his clothes that I hadn't noticed. He pulled on his dark-colored boxers and then his jeans as he asked, "How was your day?"

"Good."

He sat on the steps below me with his back to me and brushed off the bottoms of his feet before he replaced his socks and shoes.

I took the brush from my purse and began to work on untangling his wet hair. He leaned back a little between my legs and sighed with what seemed like contentment while I worked.

"I drove up to Arkansas and mailed the letters," I said.

"That's good. Now it's out of our hands."

"And I couldn't get Rasul or Andre on the phone."

"That's bad. I need to get down there and find out what's going on."

I didn't want him to leave, which was ridiculous and irrational. We couldn't stay here forever.

"When will you leave?" I asked.

"When I'm strong enough to fight."

There was a moment of silence while I continued brushing his hair.

"I'm sorry this place is so uncomfortable for you—no running water or electricity," he said.

"It's okay. I'm just glad we found a light tight room for you."

"I have safe houses we can go to, but only when I'm stronger. I can't defend myself yet. Moving now would be taking a risk."

"Okay."

"You'll be a prisoner inside all day—no trips to Target. I'll buy your food at night …. Anyway, it doesn't matter now. I'm not strong enough yet."

"I'm fine here, Eric. Really, don't worry about it."

"This is risky enough, but at least here no one knows you and the fact that it's such a small town is helpful.

"I can't even get money for you. Even if I had my wallet, ATM transactions can be tracked. And I know you'd prefer that I not take money from other humans. I feel worthless to you, and I'm sorry."

"You didn't seem worthless when you pulled Arlen off of me. Or when you addressed my envelopes last night. Or when you let me sleep on top of you."

I smiled to myself at that last one. I finished combing through his tangles and put my brush back into my purse.

Eric turned around and lifted my t-shirt above my bra and gently bit into my breast just above the lace. I closed my eyes and held his head to me. Eric's right hand was holding my t-shirt up and his left one caressed my other breast over my bra. I unconsciously let a little moan escape me.

I felt him lick the wound and lower my t-shirt again. He nuzzled my neck and spoke into my ear, "Are you taking iron supplements?"

I still had my eyes closed. "No."

"You should. I'm sorry I didn't mention it sooner. I guess I assumed … you know … because of Bill."

The mention of Bill snapped me out of my lustful haze and I opened my eyes. "I did know about the iron, but I guess I just forgot. Bill had stopped taking blood from me there at the end. We thought what was making him sick might be contagious. I'll get some tomorrow."

Eric sat back a little and looked me in the eye. "Would you prefer I find someone else to feed from? I'm strong enough to glamor now."

"No." I felt a pang of jealousy. "You don't have to. I'm fine."

"There's no need for you to feel drained. You work so hard all day and then I sap your strength every night."

"I'm fine, really. I don't want us to take any risks, so I don't think you should be biting anybody else around here. It's bad enough that that guy Arlen was out here."

"As you wish."

Eric scooted up to the top step and leaned back against the rail and pulled me to him. I rested my back against his chest and stretched my legs out in front of me between his legs.

He wrapped his arms around me and said, "Tell me about your day."

We sat like that for hours. I talked about Amelia's and he told me the story of his human family that was a thousand years old.

I started to feel tired and both of my legs were asleep when I told him I needed to get ready for bed.

He helped me stand and I went inside to change into my dress. I washed my clothes out in the creek and brushed my teeth. Eric was waiting for me on the sofa and when I was settled on top of him, he asked for a story about my family. I told him about Gran and Jason until I became too sleepy to make sense. Then I closed my eyes and fell asleep as he stroked my hair.


	9. Chapter 9

Arlen came in to Amelia's for breakfast the next morning. He sat at the counter alone. I lowered my shields, but he thought very little about me beyond thinking I had a nice rack. All memory of the night he'd attacked me and then been attacked himself had apparently been skillfully erased by Eric. Arlen had two inch-long scabs on his neck from Eric's messy bite, but they looked more like tears than puncture holes and wouldn't make a person think of a vampire bite at all.

I drove to Target after work and bought some vitamins and an iron supplement. When I got home, I washed my clothes out and put my dress on and climbed onto Eric for a nap. He was right—working all day and having blood taken every night was draining me, but I didn't want to admit it to him. I needed to work to make money and I wanted to feed Eric. I'd begun to depend on the feeling and look forward to it.

I'd begun to depend on Eric himself and I looked forward to seeing him every night. My whole world revolved around him now and I found myself thinking of him all the time. The more used to being around him I became, the more I feared losing him. I dreaded the day he would be strong enough to leave me.

I'd been afraid of Eric when I first met him, and with good reason. I'd witnessed first hand what he was capable of when he bit Arlen. But I'd also witnessed how gentle and kind he could be, and how genuinely grateful he was for my help. That, combined with how lustful I felt when he bit me, caused me to wonder if I was falling in love with him.

I fell asleep contemplating my feelings and woke shortly afterwards with all my feelings stripped down to only the lustful ones. Eric was perfectly still, making me think it wasn't dusk yet. The pitch black room gave me a bravado I wouldn't normally have. I pulled my dress over my head and tossed it towards our feet and got back under the quilt.

I rubbed my bare breasts over the cool skin of Eric's chest and kissed his neck while I felt his arms and shoulders with my curious hands. I knew it was wrong—a violation, really—to touch him in such a way when he was still in his daytime rest, but I did it anyway.

I knew the second he woke because I heard the little click of his fangs coming down and felt him harden against my body. He was as ready as I was.

Eric's hands both went to my butt and pressed me into his body. He whispered, "Sookie."

I answered into his neck, "Make love to me, Eric."

Our mouths connected in the dark and suddenly, I was filled with his tongue, and his hands seemed to be everywhere. We were both swept away with the blind passion of two people alone in the world, wondering what was next in a dangerous time.

I was still grieving for Bill, but I felt as if only Eric's touch would heal my broken heart. We'd come here as virtual strangers, forced to trust each other with our lives. And I had grown to need him, to care for him, to depend on him, and yes, to love him.

Faster than I could track, I was on my back and the wind was knocked out of me. It was as thrilling as a roller-coaster ride and I laughed at the sensation. Eric was gone and I reached up into the dark space above me and felt nothing.

"Can you see me?" I asked into the dark.

"Every inch."

I heard the rustling of clothes and the distinct sound of a zipper and felt my lust rise in a soft wave. I bent my knees and opened my legs in a brazen and blind show for the man I wanted to be my lover. My reward was a cold wet tongue lapping me and I inhaled sharply at the sudden sensation. I threaded my hands through Eric's hair and held him to me, grateful for the contact after my moment alone.

I told him it was good and I relaxed into the feeling of being the sole focus of Eric's attentions. I was shocked at how quickly I came and at how powerful it felt. I was still reeling from it when he began to enter me.

He was careful and slow due to his size, but once inside me, we melted into the same rhythm and he fell forward, kissing me passionately as he rode me. With every push, I moaned into his mouth and held him to me as closely as I could.

I felt myself heading down the path to another climax and knew Eric would be joining me soon. Just as I began to come, he broke the kiss and bit into my breast, sucking both the nipple and the blood he spilled as he shuddered with his own orgasm.

Eric was completely still after he came, but I was panting heavily. I felt Eric's tongue lick the tiny wounds he'd made on my breast and then his lips found mine in a tender, long kiss.

Afterwards, Eric lit our candles and held me as I told him about my day. I felt hopeful that some people may have received our letters today and that maybe we were on our way to an end to this nightmare.

"There are more good people than bad, and the good ones will fix this mess, won't they?" I asked him.

"I hope so, my love."

We did nothing but talk and make love until I couldn't stay awake any longer. As we lay together again in the dark in our usual position, but this time without clothing, I started to drift off to a peaceful sleep and heard Eric whisper, "You've made me a very happy man tonight. No matter what happens from here on, I'm happy now."

I smiled and kissed his chest before succumbing to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

I waddled into work, exquisitely sore the next morning and anxious to learn if there was any news on the True Blood conspiracy. I was in a great mood because of Eric and my mood continued to soar when I saw Amelia sitting at the counter reading the paper. The headline said: Corruption, Murder Rock the BVA.

I felt the weight of the world—or at least the world of vampires—had been lifted from my shoulders. I sat to eat breakfast and Amelia filled me in on what she'd read so far. There had already been many arrests and the investigation continued. The director of the BVA—a Presidential appointee—was one of the people charged with multiple counts of murder and conspiracy. The paper called it a carefully orchestrated hate-fueled genocide. It was suspected that thousands of vampires had already perished and many more were still missing.

The customers were all talking about the news all day and as the day grew long, I got more and more information. Before I left, Amelia was watching the news in her bedroom and I sat and joined her for a bit.

I picked up a newspaper before going home to Eric.

Back at home, I anxiously waited for Eric to wake and when he did, I told him everything I knew. We jumped in the car and drove to the pay phone outside the post office and Eric called the palace in New Orleans again, but had no luck speaking to a vampire. I called Jason and he seemed relieved to hear from me.

"I've been worried sick about you. Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I had to leave town for a little while, but I think I'll be able to come home soon. I'm staying with a friend. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's crazy here. Everybody's talking about that True Blood poisoning. Do you think that's what killed Bill?"

"I don't know." The less Jason knew, the better.

"Some guy from the BVA was here yesterday asking about you, Sookie. He said he was investigating Bill's death."

My blood ran cold. Had I put Jason in danger as well? "What was his name?"

"Pete something."

"What did he look like?"

"Middle-aged. White guy. Flat top hair cut."

He was the one who'd spoken to me at Merlotte's. "Listen, Jason, call Bud Dearborn and tell him about it. Those BVA men are very dangerous. You be careful. Maybe you should go stay with Hoyt for a while. Or better yet, get out of town."

"No, I'm okay. If that guy's one of the ones in on that True Blood stuff, we won't have to worry about him any more. They're arresting people right and left. The D.A. in Shreveport got arrested today. Can you believe that?"

"Well, if he comes back, don't open the door. Call Bud, okay? Just tell him what's going on."

"Okay, okay. Don't worry. When are you coming home?"

"I don't know. I'll call you soon, I promise."

I hung up and went to the car where Eric was engrossed in the newspaper. I told him what Jason had said. I was worried, but also optimistic that the bad guys were being rounded up and put away.

When Eric and I got home, I was washing my clothes in the creek when he pulled off his clothes and my dress and carried me out into the water. I pretended I wanted to get away from him and we laughed like we didn't have a care in the world. He lay on his back in a shallow part of the creek and I climbed on top of him and relished the unusual sensations of sex in the cool water. We felt free and joyful and celebrated by playing naked in the creek.

Afterwards, we cuddled together on the sofa in our candle-lit haven. I was blissfully happy.

Eric surprised me when he asked me, "Do you love me, Sookie?"

I hesitated and he jumped in before I could answer.

"It's something like love, isn't it? But maybe not exactly," he added.

"Yes, I think so."

"It's been so long, I don't really recognize the feelings. It's confusing. But I think I might feel something like love for you."

I touched his face and looked into his eyes and said, "I feel the same way."

"Show me."

And I did.


	11. Chapter 11

I was in such a great mood at work the following day. People were still talking about the vampire situation. The news was asking for donor volunteers to help feed the vampires since there was a complete recall on True Blood, and people were stepping up to help.

There were also very vocal vampire haters in the news declaring a victory in the war against the undead. Ironically, the haters seemed to have created more vampire sympathizers by making the vampires the victims of a vast hate crime. I'd always thought good people far outweighed bad people in the world, and sometimes it took an issue like this to define the differences between the two.

I was beginning to see the light at the end of this nightmarish tunnel for me and Eric. He was getting stronger every day, although I had no idea if he was capable of defending himself or not. He said he needed to be able to fight before he could go to New Orleans.

I was hoping I'd be able to go home soon and reclaim my life without looking over my shoulder all the time. It was becoming evident that Amelia would soon be able to work again. Her thumb was almost completely healed and her stitches would come out in the next day or so. Without the money I earned from her, not to mention the free meals, I wouldn't be able to stay here much longer.

Logically, I was relieved that I could soon go back to my life and that Eric would soon be well enough to go back to his, but emotionally, I didn't want our life together here to end. I had fallen in love with Eric and the thought of an end to our simple little world was painful. I had no illusions that he would ever be content in my tiny life in Bon Temps, and I knew I wouldn't fit into his life of vampire politics in Shreveport or New Orleans. I loved the kind of life a small town provided.

But no matter how much I knew we couldn't mesh our lives together, I also knew that I loved him and that my life would never be the same because of that.

At the end of the day, I asked Amelia if she had more chores for me to do. I thought I should make as much money as I could while I could.

"You don't have to do that Sookie. I can pretty much do things for myself now."

"I know, but I could really use the money." I figured honestly was the best policy. Well, at least in this little situation.

"Oh, okay, then. If you wouldn't mind. Maybe you could clean up a little. There's always laundry to do," she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Amelia."

I started a load of laundry and dusted the office and Amelia's room. Then I swept the floors. While the laundry was drying, I asked if I could use her computer to read the news and she said it was fine.

I became engrossed in the articles about the vampires and lost track of time. There had been so many arrests, and the True Blood bottling facility in New Jersey had been shut down.

Makeshift vampire hospitals had been set up all across the country, and sick and half-drained vampires were being cared for. They were all in public buildings with basements—in the morgue in Shreveport and the basement of the main library in New Orleans.

I clicked on a link that provided the names of vampires who'd been rescued. I scanned the list for Shreveport, but there was no one named Pam. Then I looked at the list in New Orleans. No Rasul or Andre. I printed out the two lists and put them in my purse for Eric.

When I realized how late it was, I jumped up and ran to the dryer and got the laundry. I folded Amelia's sheets and towels and put them away while she sat on her bed watching the news. Then I went to the bathroom to shower quickly. It was almost dark out and I was anxious to get home to Eric.

As soon as I was dressed, I opened the bathroom door and found Amelia standing there looking very worried.

"What is it?" I asked. I could tell something was wrong.

"There was a man here."

My heart jumped in my chest.

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying not to panic.

"He was looking for you. He had a badge." She held out a business card and I grabbed it and read it. Pete Thornton, Bureau of Vampire Affairs. I handed it back and saw that my hand was shaking.

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing. I told him I didn't know anyone named Sookie. But other people here know your name, so I know he'll be back."

"Thank you."

"Are you in some kind of trouble? Do you think this has something to do with all the stuff on the news? Do you know any vampires?"

I thought of Eric lying in the basement all day, completely vulnerable. Had this Pete guy found Eric? I began to feel a sick wave of panic.

"I have to go."

I brushed past Amelia and grabbed my purse off the desk in the office. As I headed to the front door, Amelia followed me, asking, "Do you need anything? Wait!"

I stopped and turned to see her grab a wad of cash from the register. "This is for today," she said as she began to put it in my purse.

"It's too much."

"Just take it." She grabbed me and hugged me to her. I could hear in her thoughts that she knew something was very wrong and was worried about me. "Be careful, okay?"

"I will. Thank you." I hugged her one last time and then ran out the door, thinking of nothing but getting to Eric to make sure he was safe.


	12. Chapter 12

I was so focused on getting home to Eric that I didn't notice the man in the car parked behind mine. I was fishing for my keys in my purse as I approached my car when I registered a brain thinking, _Got her._

Someone pushed me up against my car and grabbed my wrists. As my hands were being handcuffed behind my back, I heard, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say may be used against you."

While the man behind me continued telling me my rights, I watched several people on the sidewalk stop and watch us.

I was pulled from behind and walked to the car behind mine. My new friend, Pete, put me in the back seat and then got in and drove away from the curb.

I knew I wasn't really being arrested, of course. I could see in Pete's head visions of dumping my body in some lake or river, and he kept thinking of the phrase "vamp trash."

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my predicament, but all I could think about was whether or not Eric was safe. Had this man found the house? I was cursing myself for ever leaving Eric alone to work during the day. I should have stayed there to protect him. I didn't have to work. I should have begged for food from strangers before I ever thought of leaving him alone and helpless.

I started to cry when I thought that I was probably going to die without ever knowing if Eric was safe or not. I heard Pete think, _stupid bitch_.

I blinked the tears from my eyes and looked around me. We were outside of town on a dark road that I didn't recognize. There were no other cars in sight. The car came to a stop at a crossroads, but before we began to move past the stop sign, suddenly the driver's door was open and Pete was gone, faster that my eyes could even register.

I was shocked, but knew in an instant that Eric had taken Pete and my tears turned to tears of joy that he was alive. The interior light was on because the door was open and there was a little ding going off to alert the non-existent driver to the open door. The car began to move forward and I started to panic a little that I was handcuffed in the back of an unmanned moving vehicle.

After what seemed like a long moment, Eric jumped into the driver's seat and stopped the car as he asked, "Are you okay?" He put the car in park and turned around to look at me. He was shirtless and his mouth was covered in blood.

"Yes," I said.

"I'll be right back."

He jumped out of the car and closed the door, and within a minute, he returned and tossed Pete's lifeless body across the seat. Pete hit the passenger door with a heavy thump.

Eric got in and started to drive.

"Who was this guy?" he asked.

"The one from the BVA that came to Merlotte's and then went to see Jason. I think he killed Bill. God, do you think he hurt Jason?" I began to cry again.

"Don't worry. We'll find out. He's probably fine."

Eric turned off the road and the car bumped along a dirt road. When we stopped, Eric turned the ignition off and said, "I'll be right back," and then pulled Pete out of the car and slung him over his shoulder. Eric disappeared behind some bushes and I just sat and tried to be patient and not panic about Jason.

I saw Eric's pale figure emerge from the bushes and he came quickly to the car. The blood had been wiped from his mouth.

He opened the back door and helped me out. I stood while he unlocked the handcuffs. As soon as my hands were free, I grabbed him and pulled him to me. He kissed my lips, my face, my neck and held me tightly.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked into my neck.

"No. But I was so worried, Eric. I thought he'd found you during the day, and I wasn't there to protect you. I'm so sorry. I won't leave you alone again."

Eric looked at me and said, "We can't stay here any longer. It's not safe."

I started to cry, knowing he was right and so sad that our private little world was coming to an end.

He said, "It's okay. We'll find another place." He wiped my tears from my face and kissed me again. "Don't cry," he said between kisses.

I finally stopped crying and Eric asked, "Where's your car?"

"In front of Amelia's."

"Okay. So, we need to figure out another place to go."

"Wait, I almost forgot." I pulled my lists of rescued vampires from my purse and handed them to him. I knew he could read it even though it was dark.

"These are the vampires recovering in Shreveport and New Orleans," I told him. "I'm sorry. Pam's not on the list."

"I know she's still alive. I can feel her. I need to get to New Orleans." He folded the lists back up and stuffed them into his jeans pocket.

"Let's drive there tonight."

"No. No, love, you can't come with me. It's not safe. I can protect you from humans, but not from other vampires. Many of them are stronger and more powerful than I am. I'm still not back to my full strength. Plus, I have to obey rules."

"I don't want you to leave me."

"I won't. Not until I know you're safe. Don't worry. We'll go somewhere else and hide until I know it's safe for you to go home. Then I'll go to New Orleans—find out what's happening. I also need to find Pam."

"I can help you find her," I said.

"First I have to secure my own survival among my kind. Then I can search for Pam. Our political system may be in chaos. My life may be at risk from other vampires. There are opportunistic vampires just waiting for a vulnerable moment to seize power. I have no idea what I'll find in New Orleans."

"If it's dangerous, I don't want you to go."

"I have to. But not right away." He placed his palm on my cheek and had a sad look in his eyes. Then he said, "Let's get your car."

Eric wrapped his arms tightly around me and we began to slowly rise in the air. It felt surreal, but I felt completely safe in Eric's grasp.

Once we were over the trees, we began to fly towards the lights of the town. We landed behind a garage and walked out to the sidewalk a couple of blocks from Amelia's.

We stopped in the parking lot of the post office and Eric called the palace again, but there were still no vampires with whom he could speak. I called Jason.

"Sookie, are you okay?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah, you won't believe what's going on here. You were right about that BVA guy. I called Bud Dearborn like you said, and that guy is one of the ones they want to arrest."

"I thought he was dangerous," I said. I knew he wasn't any more.

"Well, the shit has hit the fan in the vampire world. Have you been watching the news?"

"Yes, I have."

"Well, they're finding all kinds of sick vamps. A lot of 'em are dead. I know that's what happened to Bill."

"Well, you still need to be careful, Jason. It's not over."

"I know, but that's okay. Bud's taking this very seriously. He has a patrol car in front of my house 24 hours a day. You'll get one too when you come home. We're on some list of people that those BVA guys were after. I guess 'cause of Bill."

"There's someone in front of your house now?"

"Yeah, all the time. You can come home, Sookie. Stay with me if you want to. They'll watch out for us. And I won't let anything happen to you."

I felt tears of relief sting my eyes. Jason was safe.

"I'll come home soon, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, Sookie."

"I love you, too."

I couldn't remember the last time we'd told each other we loved each other. I hung up and looked at Eric who'd been standing beside me and I was certain had heard every word.

"Can we go back and get our things at the house?" I asked. I hated to leave the few items of clothing I'd accumulated.

"Of course. Then we'll find a new place to hide."

We got back into the car to begin the next chapter in our plan for survival.


	13. Chapter 13

Eric was silent on the drive home. He held my hand a little too tightly, but I didn't complain. When we got to the house, I went into the bathroom and started to collect my clothes. Eric went down to the basement.

When I came outside, Eric was putting the quilt and sheet into the trunk of the car and putting the candles and lighter into one of the various Target bags already in the trunk. I put my clothes on top of the quilt and handed Eric his black tank top.

He put it on and said, "Your flashlight is in the glove compartment," as he closed the trunk lid. Then he just stood still and looked at me. I knew what he was thinking before he spoke and shook my head.

"Yes, you should go to your brother," he said.

"No, no. I don't want to leave you." I started to cry and he took me in his arms.

"I can't protect you 24 hours a day, my love. He can. And the law enforcement in your town can. You'll be safe there."

"I want to go with you."

He wiped my tears as they fell. "You can't."

I stopped crying. "I'll drive you to New Orleans."

"No. You need to drive straight to Bon Temps. Don't stop for anything. If a police car tries to pull you over, keep going and drive straight to the sheriff in Bon Temps. Once you're there, never leave your brother's side until you are certain it's safe. Do you understand? He loves you; he'll protect you."

"Yes. But who will protect _you_?"

Eric smiled a little smile. "I'll be fine. I've survived for over a thousand years and only depended on someone to protect me in the past week. Someone brave and kind."

He hugged me tightly to him, then looked at me again. "This has been the happiest week I can remember in my very long life. I was wrong when I said I felt something like love for you. I do love you, Sookie. I'm certain of it. No matter what happens, know that I love you."

He crushed me to him and his lips hungrily kissed mine. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall as I kissed him back.

When he broke the kiss, I touched his face and said, "I love you, too."

"I know you do, my love."

He kissed me one last time and then stepped back before he rose in the air. I watched him fly away and then I got in the car and drove to Bon Temps.

I saw the sheriff's car parked in front of Jason's house and felt the tension drain from my neck and shoulders. I'd been a wreck all the way home, watching my rear view mirror, and I finally felt safe again.

I pulled into the driveway and parked behind Jason's truck. I jumped out and knocked on the back door, but Jason didn't answer. I could see through the gauzy curtain on the window of the door that Jason was asleep on the sofa. The TV was on and he was sitting up, but with his head leaning back on the sofa.

I used my key to let myself in.

"Jason, I'm here!" I called out.

I walked to the sofa and stopped as I stood in front of him. The front of his shirt was spattered with blood and his lap was soaked with it. His eyes were open just a little and he was very clearly dead.

I turned around and calmly walked back out to my car. I backed down the driveway and pulled up beside the patrol car parked on the street. I didn't stop, but slowed down enough to look in to see a body lying across the front seat. Then I kept driving.

I told myself to keep it together even though the tears had already started. But I had to keep my head clear and decide what to do next. Suddenly, I was alone in the world and I was too scared to go home. I wondered if Jason had been scared at the end and I was glad I'd told him I loved him one last time.

I passed the ramp to get on the interstate and turned onto a smaller road that led south. I checked my gas tank and wondered how much money I had in my purse. Survival is the first order of business, I told myself. I wiped my teary eyes so I could see better to drive and then headed to New Orleans, the only place left for me to go.


	14. Chapter 14

I asked for directions to the vampire palace when I got gas just before getting to New Orleans. I drove past it once and was stunned at the mobs of people even at that late hour. There were police cars all around it and barricades holding back the crowds. I drove on for several blocks before I found a parking space and checked the street signs to make sure I could leave my car there for a while if I needed to.

Then I got out and started walking. As I approached the people surrounding the palace, I began to weave my way through the crowd. Many people held candles and were praying for the vampires. Some just seemed to be curious tourists. As I got closer to the building, I saw a group holding signs with messages of hate: Vampires are demons, God hates vampires, Burn the vampires out. I stopped reading and kept pushing through.

When I got to the barricades, I could see yards and yards of flowers and cards strewn across the sidewalk. There were even some little stuffed animals and more than a few little stuffed Draculas, as well as balloons. Beyond the gifts, uniformed police officers stood all around the perimeter protecting the building.

I looked past the police guards at the tall structure that was oddly without windows and wondered if Eric was inside.

I called out to the nearest officer. "Excuse me! Officer?"

I had to repeat myself a few times, but when I caught his attention, he stepped forward and said, "Yes, ma'am."

"I need to get inside the palace."

"That's not possible, ma'am."

"Well, then, I need to speak to one of the vampires."

"You're welcome to call the palace to get a message to one of the vampires, but they're unavailable right now."

"I've been trying to call for days, and can't get one on the phone."

"They're unavailable."

"What about … uh … donating blood? How can I donate?"

"Donations can be made at the main library. Just walk four blocks that way and then take a right. You can't miss it. The vampire infirmary is in the basement." He gestured to my left.

"Thank you."

I fought back through the crowd and began walking towards the library. I had no idea what I was going to do, but at least it was a place to start.

The library was also heavily fortified with security, both human and vampire. When I told an officer that I wanted to be a donor, he directed me to a desk just inside the door of the basement.

I reluctantly handed my ID to the man checking people in and he asked me to fill out some paperwork while he copied information from my license. Once we'd gotten the paperwork squared away, he handed me a little brochure and asked me to wait in a chair down the hall.

I seemed to be the only new donor and sat alone while I read all about the risks of blood donation and the rules for interacting with the vampires.

A tall blonde woman in green scrubs came out after a few minutes and called my name. She led me into a small office that had been set up as a makeshift hospital room.

"Thanks so much for volunteering, sweetie," she began.

"You're welcome. Would it be possible to speak to one of the vampires?"

"If you'd like. A lot of people just want to donate and leave, but that would be nice if you wanted to visit with them. Some of them are very friendly. Some aren't."

"That would be great."

"Just lie back now."

I watched her put a needle in my arm while I made a fist. Within minutes, I'd filled a little plastic bag with my blood and was sipping a cup of orange juice.

When the nurse left with the blood, I sat up and felt a little light-headed. I willed myself to get a grip and was feeling stronger by the time a young black man came in and introduced himself as Allen.

"Okay, so let's get you started." He handed me a pad of paper and a pen. "Only approach the vampires that are awake. If they seem unfriendly at all, just go on to the next one."

"Okay," I responded.

"Ask their names and what they'd like. Offer books, magazines, newspapers. We also have laptops and cell phones for their use. Just make notes who wants what and bring it back to the desk where you checked in. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Have you dealt with vampires before?"

"Yes, I have."

"Good. Don't be afraid. These are too weak to hurt you anyway."

"Thanks, Allen."

"I'll see you in a bit then."

Allen escorted me into a huge room that had little dividers set up between cots. Every cot had a body on it and there were probably thirty or so cots.

I began down the first row of five cots, but all the vampires in the beds were asleep. They had that same pale, haggard look that Eric and Bill had had.

On the next row, I found one awake and sitting up. He was very handsome (as most vampires are) with long black hair and very blue eyes. He was almost feminine in his beauty. He smiled as I approached him.

"Hello, I'm Sookie."

"Hello, Sookie. I'm Alfredo."

"Can I get you anything tonight? Books, newspapers? A laptop?"

"I'd love today's paper."

I jotted it down.

"You don't by any chance know Eric Northman, do you?" I asked.

"Of course."

"He's a friend of mine, and I need to see him. I think he's in the palace, but I can't get inside. Could you help me?"

"Sweetie, they won't even take my calls and I live there. It's closed up as tight as Fort Knox right now."

"Well, thanks, anyway. I'll get your paper."

I moved on and spoke to several more vampires, but got similar stories. When I came to the last row, I found a small Indian woman awake, and she seemed to be waiting for me.

"You're looking for Eric?" she asked.

Of course, I knew they could all hear me while I spoke to the others.

"Yes."

"He's my sheriff. My name is Indira."

"Nice to meet you."

"Is he alive?" she asked.

"Yes. He's fine. I saw him earlier tonight, as a matter of fact. He's in perfect health."

"I'm very relieved to hear that. I hadn't seen his name on any of the lists. Why do you need to see him?"

"I've had something bad happen." I felt my eyes tear up, but kept going. "I need his help."

"And you say you saw him earlier?"

"Yes." I pulled the piece of paper with the palace phone number from my purse. "Do you know his handwriting?"

Indira looked at the paper. "Yes, I do."

"Can you help me?"

"Step closer."

I hesitated.

"I won't hurt you," she added.

I had to trust her. Where else could I go? I stepped closer.

She inhaled my scent near my neck.

"You smell of him," she said. "Are you his?"

"Yes, I am."

"Can you prove it?"

I looked around and made sure I was hidden from view of the other vampires by the partition between the beds and then faced Indira as I lifted my t-shirt to reveal the healing bite marks on my chest.

I lowered my shirt and she said, "Hand me a pen and paper."

I handed her my little pad and pen and she wrote out a note.

After she handed it back, I said, "Thank you very much. Can I bring you something? A book, magazine?"

"You're very sweet, but no thank you."

"I hope you're feeling better soon, Indira."

"Be careful. Don't ask for Eric. Don't draw attention to him. Good luck."

I went back to the desk and delivered my list of requests. Another volunteer brought me the items on the list and I delivered them to the sick vampires.

Then I headed back to the palace with my note from Indira.

The officer I'd spoken to before handed my note off to another officer and I watched him disappear inside the building. I waited for what seemed like an eternity until he returned and I was escorted to the front door.

Once inside, a young Asian man introduced himself as Minh. A beautiful red-haired woman vampire stood silently and watched as Minh spoke to me. I tried not to gape at the opulent entry way (or the silent vampire guard) as Minh led me down a long hall and into an office. I sat across from him at his desk.

"So, you are looking for a job?" he began.

I figured I'd go with what Indira had said in the note. After all, it got me past the front door.

"Yes, I am."

"You've been volunteering at the infirmary?"

"Yes."

"And have experience with vampires."

"Yes,"

"You come highly recommended. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here, of course. We're being even more cautious than usual under the circumstances."

"I understand."

"You have two options. You can be on the night staff, work from dusk until dawn for ten dollars an hour, or you can live here with free room and board for no salary. Of course, you'll have your days free."

"I'd like to stay here and have no salary. I don't have a place to stay in town."

"Are you a student?"

"No. I just moved here and don't really know anyone."

"Okay then. Let's talk about your skills."

"I have waitress experience, and I can clean. I can also cook."

"Great. We have openings in the kitchen. We're a little short-handed at the moment. Do you object to being bitten?"

"No." I knew that a yes answer would be a mistake, but I felt a little wave of nausea at the thought of being bitten by someone other than Bill or Eric.

"Good. Let me just make a copy of your ID and get you to fill out some paperwork."

I knew that by giving Minh my actual ID and social security number, I'd be giving my location away to anyone who was trying to track me. But I also knew that none of those people would likely be coming into this very secure building.

While I was writing, Minh asked me to stand in front of a wall. Then he stood and took my photo.

"It's for your employee badge," he explained.

I signed several complicated-looking disclaimers while Minh made a copy of my license. Then he escorted me down another hallway and knocked on a door before opening it.

"This will be your room. You'll share with Carla. She works in the laundry. Can someone help with your luggage?"

"Um, no, I can get it later. My car's parked a few blocks away."

"Okay. What are your sizes? Eight? Ten?"

"I'm an eight."

"Shoes?"

"Seven and a half."

"I'll be right back."

I sat on one of the twin beds and looked around the room. It was very spartan, like a college dorm room. Simple white bedspreads, a wooden dresser, nothing on the plain white cinderblock walls.

I felt numb. I couldn't think of Jason. I couldn't think of Eric. I had to just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. I was inside the palace, which was a huge accomplishment in itself.

When Minh returned, he handed me a uniform of plain black pants, a white dress shirt and black flat shoes. He was wearing the same thing.

"When you're dressed, come back to the office and I'll take you to the kitchen."

"Thank you, Minh."

"You're welcome."

I got dressed and hung my clothes up in the closet. There were two little safes on the floor of the closet that you could set with your own pin number. One was open, so I set my pin number and left my purse inside.

Then, I set out to find Minh and start my new job.


	15. Chapter 15

I tried not to gawk at my surroundings as Minh led me to the kitchen of the palace. The hallway was beautiful with long oriental rugs and paintings lining the walls, but then the cafeteria was very plain and industrial-looking, much like the dorm room. Minh handed me over to a heavyset black woman named Gert who showed me the ropes.

The kitchen fed the humans, of course, so that the humans could feed the vampires. The operation was much bigger than Merlotte's or Amelia's, but the system was basically the same. Once Gert explained what was needed, it was easy for me to get to work.

The large dining room had a dozen or so tables where some humans were eating. They went through a cafeteria line to get their food and then sat and ate. I cleaned the tables as they left and helped keep the trays of food stocked in the cafeteria. I hadn't been working long at all before Gert told me to take a break and have something to eat myself.

I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat down. I ate scrambled eggs and bacon since it was close to morning, and I noticed a few looks from some of the other humans who were all dressed just like I was.

I felt a change in the demeanor of the people around me when a small blond-haired vampire came into the room. I watched Gert scoot quickly to greet him and they exchanged a few words.

He'd been very young when he was turned—a teenager, really, which I found slightly disturbing. He never smiled and there was something about him that gave me the creeps.

He looked directly at me and began to walk towards me. Gert followed right behind him.

"Who are you?" he asked abruptly.

I stood to be polite and said, "I'm Sookie." I knew not to extend my hand.

"I'm Andre. You're new?"

"Yes."

"Lovely."

He took a very fast step towards me and bit right into my neck with no warning whatsoever.

I gasped at the prick of pain and looked over his head at Gert. She was watching nervously as he sloppily sucked my neck. I felt some blood trickle down between my breasts and the room became filled with a bright white light. And then there was nothing.

I woke up and knew I was lying on a bed, but it took me a minute to remember where I was. My eyes were closed and I felt very weak, but I was aware of a low growling sound beside me.

I really couldn't muster the energy to be afraid and thought, if whatever is growling at me is going to kill me, there's just not much I can do about that right now. I opened my eyes and tried to focus, but I wondered if I was hallucinating. Eric was sitting beside me, staring at my neck, wearing the scariest expression I'd ever seen. His upper lip was curled, exposing his fangs, and he was clearly the source of the growling.

I wanted to say something, to touch him, but I couldn't seem to get my voice or my arms to work. As I watched him, I became afraid of him. He wasn't the same Eric who'd told me he loved me and kissed me before. (That seemed like an eternity ago, but was merely earlier that night.) He was a frightening and threatening animal focused intently on my neck. I wondered if he was just going to bite me and kill me, and I didn't even have the strength to object.

I closed my eyes again and slept or possibly passed out—I'm not sure. When I woke again, there was something in my mouth—a finger. I tasted blood and opened my eyes. Eric was still beside me and his eyes were closed, his face contorted as if he were having an orgasm. I'd seen that expression before.

Again, I wondered if I was seeing things, but then when I swallowed and felt the effects of the blood, I knew that what was happening was real. I closed my eyes and let the euphoria sweep me away. My body felt light—like I was hovering above the bed.

The finger was gone and I opened my eyes to an empty room. I sat up, suddenly stronger, and started to stand to go look for Eric. Only then did I realize I was hooked up to an IV.

A woman came in the door wearing green scrubs and I almost giggled at the thought that she was the second woman I'd seen in one night wearing green scrubs. It struck me as very funny for some reason.

"Whoa, there. You need to lie back down," she said.

"I'm feeling much better," I replied. I wanted to tell her that I wanted Eric to come back but heard Indira's words in my head to not ask for Eric.

"You, my dear, are suffering from what we call feeding fatigue. You have essentially been drained of too much blood."

"Yes, I kind of figured that. I gave blood at the infirmary earlier."

"And you have bite marks all over your chest. You need to settle down. You can't help the whole vamp world recover all by yourself."

"You're right. I'm sorry I caused trouble."

"No, it's fine. Andre should have asked first. He has very bad manners. He didn't know you'd donated earlier."

I sat back down on the bed.

"Lie back and relax. You're getting fluids and some heavy-duty vitamins. I want you to take it easy for a few days."

"I just started working tonight. I can't ask for time off."

"It's fine. We know why you need to rest. You've been drained."

"Okay. I'll take it easy." I lay back onto the bed.

"That's better."

Minh came into the room and asked, "How's she doing?"

"I'm much better, thank you. I'm so sorry to have caused trouble."

"Don't be silly. It's no trouble at all."

He handed me a laminated name badge on a little black string. "You'll need to wear this at all times. The green background indicates a boarder, so you won't be charged for meals."

"Thank you." I sat up and placed it around my neck.

"And you need to wear this until a medic clears you." He handed me a little red plastic F on a shorter string. "Can I help you put it on?"

"Sure."

He fastened the F around my neck. It fit like a choker.

"This indicates that you have feeding fatigue. It will prevent another incident like this one. You can take it off during the day—actually, it will be dawn in just a few minutes. But always wear it after dusk."

"Thank you."

"Oh, and this is your parking pass. Just put it on the dash of your car. Show your ID to the officer at the driveway entrance and he'll direct you to the parking structure."

I took the little pass from Minh and thanked him again.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, but you're not to work until the medic clears you, okay?"

"Okay," I said.

"Good night, then," he said as he left the room.

I lay back on the bed and waited for my IV to finish. The nurse left the room as well and closed the door behind her.

I was still buzzing a little from Eric's blood, but closed my eyes to try and focus on the events of the very long night. I had miraculously gotten myself on the staff of the palace and discovered that Eric was here. My heart raced a little when I thought of his face when I sucked on his finger. But then I also remembered how angry he'd looked when he was growling at me. At least I'd found him.

I was drifting in and out of sleep when I felt the nurse removing my IV.

"I'll take you to your room now so you can get some sleep," she said.

I sat up and rolled my sleeves down. She walked with me down a hallway and then another until I found my room.

"Come and see me if you feel faint or dizzy, okay? And take one of these every day."

She handed me a bottle of vitamins.

"Thanks so much," I said as she turned and left.

I opened the door to my room (there was no lock), and found a naked woman with a dark brown bob sitting on one of the beds filing her nails.

"Oh, hello," I said as I closed the door behind me.

"Hi, I'm Carla."

"Sookie."

"Wow, you're pretty. The vamps are going to love you."

"Thank you. So are you." It felt very weird complimenting her because she was naked.

"Just FYI, Gervaise is my favorite. I know you can't really say no to him if he wants you, but I'd be really grateful if you wouldn't flirt with him."

"Oh sure. Not a problem." I noted fang marks on her neck, breasts, thighs. "I'm just going to get ready for bed," I added.

I took my t-shirt into the bathroom and changed into it to sleep. I didn't have my toothbrush with me, and hoped Carla didn't mind that I stole a glob of toothpaste to clean my teeth a little with my finger.

When I came out of the bathroom, Carla was under the covers.

"Just put your dirty laundry in the bag inside the closet and someone will come and get it," she said.

"Thanks."

I hung up my black pants, but my white shirt had blood on it, so I put it inside the laundry bag. I put my blood-stained bra in a drawer, knowing I'd need it in the morning, dirty or not.

I put my watch, name tag, parking pass and F choker on the dresser and climbed into bed.

As I turned out the lamp between the beds, I said good night to Carla and she replied the same. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.


	16. Chapter 16

I slept like the dead, and woke to the sound of a toilet flushing. A light came on and I opened my eyes to see a naked Carla getting under her covers. She turned to look at me.

"Good morning," she said and then gave a yawn.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Almost 4."

"Wow, I was really out."

"Yeah, being drained will do that. I'm going to hop in the shower. Do you want the bathroom first?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks."

I got up and used the bathroom, grateful for a working toilet and not a bush.

When I came out, Carla headed into the bathroom.

I said, "I'm going to get my stuff out of my car. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay," she said as she closed the door.

I pulled my black pants on (and noted new uniforms hanging in the closet for both me and Carla-the laundry bag was empty). Then I pulled my t-shirt off, put on my blood-stained bra, and replaced the t-shirt.

I got my purse out of the safe and grabbed my name badge and parking pass. After stepping into my black flats, I was out the door.

I worked my way through the crowd out front—much smaller in the daytime—no chance of seeing a vampire. I walked to my car and drove it back to the front entrance of the palace. I showed my badge and parking pass to the officer on duty and he removed the barricade so I could drive inside.

I organized a couple of Target bags so I'd have my clothes and toiletries with me and then headed over to the palace.

Carla was making her bed—still naked—when I came in.

"Nice luggage," she said as she eyed my plastic bags.

"Thanks."

I unpacked my little bags and got my clean uniform from the closet before disappearing into the bathroom to shower and dress. The water felt heavenly, and I was quite grateful for the fully-functioning plumbing, even though the bathroom was very utilitarian.

When I came out in my uniform, Carla was dressed (finally) and sitting on her bed (and had made mine), reading a newspaper.

"Thanks for making my bed. Where'd you get the paper?"

"Sure, no problem. The paper's always left outside the door every day. It was dropped off while you were in the shower."

I found it funny that the paper was delivered outside the door, but no one seemed to mind that a person had rooted through our closets while we slept.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Starving."

We went through the cafeteria line and filled our plates with food before finding a table among the other white-shirted/black-panted humans.

Carla said, "It's nice to have a new roommate. Things around here have been very odd for the past week or so. Really, even before that."

"Why is that?" I asked, assuming I knew at least a part of what her answer might be.

"Well, you know some of the vamps were getting sick even before all this mess started. We didn't know why, of course. The Queen and most of her entourage were fine, having probably never even tasted bottled blood. But some of the others were pretty sick."

"I can imagine."

"I heard they were really freaked out about it upstairs. Then the shit hit the fan when one of the Queen's agents went missing and then turned up dead as a doornail. He was really the first one we heard about that had died. That's when the whole palace went into lockdown."

"Really?" I assumed that was why no one would take my calls or even Eric's.

"Yeah, they are very secretive in general, and didn't want to take any chances that other vamps might know who was sick and who wasn't. That was smart because now we're finding out that only the blood on the east coast was poisoned. The California plant wasn't fooled with, apparently, so the west coast vamps are mostly fine."

She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned in to continue. "I heard there was a bloody takeover of the palace in New Hampshire by the king of Oregon."

"Oh, no."

"Anyway, now that we know more and that the blood was the root of the problem, hopefully, things will get back to normal soon."

"It's been such a nightmare," I said.

"Yeah. Like I said, as soon as we heard about that agent being killed—well, it's just been a mess."

"Was he drained?"

"Yeah, and then the guy who drained him committed suicide in jail. It was in the papers—otherwise, we might have never known what happened."

My fork stopped in mid-air, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"I think I read about that. Was it in Shreveport?" I asked as I set my fork down.

"Yeah. His name was Bill Compton. Really cute. Such a shame." I checked her brain and saw an image of Bill without a shirt on.

I stopped eating, but kept fiddling with the food on my plate, hoping Carla wouldn't notice that I'd suddenly lost my appetite.

"When you say he was an agent of the Queen's, what do you mean?" I asked.

Again, she leaned in to whisper. "She sent him to some little backwater town to seduce a girl who is supposedly a telepath. I didn't even know there was such a thing. Apparently, they're very rare and very valuable."

"Really?" I was having trouble breathing.

"Yeah. He was supposed to snatch this girl-well, I guess, more like convince her with his charms, so she'd come work for the Queen. Hey, are you okay?"

I was feeling like I might faint. My head was reeling. I'd thought Bill loved me and he'd really been on some secret mission to bring me to the Queen? And now that he was gone, I'd walked right through the front doors of my own accord. Suddenly, I felt trapped and began to panic.

"Um, no. I don't feel well. Excuse me," I said.

I stood to leave, but then I remembered I'd left my tray on the table and went back.

Carla stood and said, "Don't worry about that. I'll get it. You look really pale. Why don't you go lie down. Do you need the medic?"

"No, thank you. I think I'll just go to our room and lie down."

I left Carla and started for the door, hoping I could make it back to the room before I passed out. I was starting to see black spots in front of my eyes and I accidentally bumped into a woman who was coming into the cafeteria.

"Excuse me," I said.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and then she said, "Oh my god."

I looked up and saw her face just as the room began to spin. All I got out was one word before I began to lose consciousness.

"Hadley."

**A/N: This story hit a thousand reviews with the last chapter, inducting it into the 1000-year-old Viking Club! Thank you, wonderful Eric lovers! You are why I write.**

**Sadly, we just learned that our dear friend, Night Orchid, passed away recently. She was a writer here, and always brightened my day with her funny and enthusiastic reviews. I posted a tribute to her on The Sookieverse. **** www**** . thesookieverse 2010/07/tribute-to-night-orchid . html (remove spaces around dots) She will be sorely missed.**


	17. Chapter 17

The back of my hand hurt. I opened my eyes and I was in a beautiful bedroom. I glanced at my hand and saw the IV and remembered what had happened. I was underneath a very soft sheet and wearing a cotton hospital gown. I felt the F choker around my neck.

This was not the little room with the nurse in the green scrubs. This was a gorgeous room with a canopy bed, draped with panels of white silk. I looked over to the dark mahogany dresser which held a huge spray of red roses in a crystal vase. The walls were painted a pale turquoise and decorated with rich paintings and flow blue plates hung in a row. I looked down to the floor covered with a burgundy and gold oriental rug. A tall heavy armoire stood against the wall to my right. The little metal IV stand beside me was in sharp contrast to the rich furnishings of the room.

I tried to sit up, but was still a little light-headed. I closed my eyes and thought, what next? I was trying to process the fact that Bill had never loved me, but had been sent to hunt me down for the vampire Queen of Louisiana. I'd been grieving for Bill—was I wrong to have loved him? Had it all been a sham? And was Eric in on it? Could our relationship be based on a lie as well? Then I thought of Jason, and I lost it. I stopped trying to be strong and just let it all out. I turned on my side and curled up into a ball to cry, careful not to tangle my IV line.

I must have been crying for nearly an hour when there was a soft knock at the door and then it opened. A tiny woman came in and stood beside my bed.

"I'm Dr. Ludwig."

I stopped crying and sat up a little, wiping my eyes. "Hello, I'm Sookie Stackhouse."

"Yes, I know. How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired."

"That's understandable. I'm surprised you have any blood left. I had a hard time finding a place to put my needle."

"Am I in a hospital?"

"No, you're in your room at the palace."

"Where's Carla?"

"I don't know anyone named Carla. Are you hungry?"

"Not really."

"Well, I don't want you skipping any meals. Can I have something sent up for you?"

"Maybe a little later."

"Okay. Just get some rest. I'll check on you a little later."

I watched her leave and thought she was one of the oddest-looking people I'd ever seen. I scooted back down underneath the incredibly soft sheet and soon found myself back to sleep.

I had to use the bathroom when I woke again, so I got up and pulled my little IV stand with me into a most amazing bathroom. The walls and floors were white marble; there was a huge shower and separate claw foot tub. A mirrored tray on the counter held an array of toiletries and cosmetics as well as a tiny porcelain vase with miniature pink roses. I used the bathroom and went back and sat on the bed.

I was feeling much better and was a little hungry, so I thought I'd find the cafeteria. Once I'd eaten, I would ask about Hadley. Had I really seen her? Was it just my imagination?

My IV bag was empty, and I didn't want to wait for the doctor, so I pulled the needle out of my hand myself. I went back to the bathroom and held my hand under the running water, then pressed a tissue to it until it stopped bleeding. I looked in the medicine cabinet, but there were no band aids. Of course not-why would there be a band aid in a vampire palace?

I didn't see my clothes, so I opened the armoire. It was filled with clothes, but there was no uniform. I checked the drawers of the dresser and found stacks of neatly folded lingerie and sleepwear—all with the tags still on. There was a pair of manicure scissors on top of the panty pile, so I cut the tags off a pair of pale blue silk panties and pulled them on. There was a matching bra and it was my size.

I searched the armoire again and removed a silk ivory blouse with tiny pearl buttons. The collar and cuffs were a delicate ivory lace. I put the blouse on and then found a straight burgundy velvet skirt that fit me like a glove. There were burgundy suede high-heeled pumps in the floor of the armoire in—of course—my size.

I folded my little hospital gown and stuck it in a drawer, then made my bed.

I went into the bathroom and ran a brush through my hair. I looked very pale, so I put on a little blush and some lip gloss from the mirrored tray. I actually looked pretty good except for the employee tag and red F around my neck that ruined what was otherwise the nicest outfit I'd ever worn.

I opened the door and started to walk out into the hall when a man—a vampire—stepped away from the wall and said, "Hello. How nice to see you're feeling better. I'm Rasul."

"Oh, hello. I'm Sookie."

This had to be the Rasul Eric had been trying to reach. He was very handsome with black hair and dark eyes. He held his elbow out to me.

"Please take my arm. Tell me if you're feeling faint."

I surprised myself by taking his arm and we began to walk away from my room down a long corridor.

"We'll bring your belongings up to your room while you're out. Can you tell me the combination to the safe?"

I hesitated. This vampire was a stranger to me even though I knew his name from Eric. I reminded myself that I'd also known Andre's and he'd bitten me without warning.

"I can assure you that the security of your belongings is not in jeopardy here. You are a protected guest of the Queen's," he said.

For some crazy reason, I trusted him, and I whispered the combination into his ear as we walked. He just smiled and nodded.

As we came to the end of the hallway, Rasul opened a set of double doors and I was shocked to see a huge open room filled with vampires and a few humans. It was furnished just as you'd expect a palace would be in rich opulent colors and oversized pieces of furniture. The people inside were dressed in suits and dresses. I was glad I'd bothered with the lip gloss.

All heads turned to me and Rasul as we entered, but my eyes went directly to Eric. He was standing in front of a pair of gold velvet drapes (that covered no window) wearing a gray suit with a light blue dress shirt. My heart began to pound in my chest. He seemed to have no expression at all on his face as he looked at me.

"Sookie, please come in," a woman said from the sofa in front of a huge hearth. "I'm Sophie-Anne Leclerq, the Queen of Louisiana."

Rasul walked me to her and I let his arm go as I said, "How do you do?"

"It's such a pleasure to have you here, my dear." She was very petite and had been turned young like Andre, but she was also quite lovely in an emerald green dress. "You know your cousin, Hadley, of course."

Hadley was sitting beside the queen in a black lace dress. She gave me a smile but didn't speak.

"And you've met Andre." She gestured to her right where Andre sat at a chess table with another vampire. "Note the choker, Andre."

There was a smattering of laughter in the room, but Andre wasn't smiling.

"Hello," I said and nodded to him. He gave a tiny nod in return.

"You'll meet everyone else in due time. Please relax and enjoy yourself."

I started to walk away, but she added, "Wait. Eric, have you met Sookie?"

Eric was suddenly beside me. "Yes, of course, Your Majesty. Sookie lives in Area Five."

"Not any more," she said.

"Helo, Sookie," Eric said politely.

"Hello," I said.

His eyes were burning into mine, but I couldn't read his expression. Was he angry? I wasn't sure.

"Hadley, dear, why don't you entertain your cousin—see to her needs."

Hadley stood and took my hand and led me away from the Queen and Eric. We sat on a sofa in the far corner of the room.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" she began.

I wanted to grab her and shake her and ask her a thousand questions, but I knew that we were being eyed and that every vampire in the very large room could hear us.

"Yes, I am. Should we go to the cafeteria?"

"No, we can send for food to be brought to us up here."

She raised her hand and a human in a white shirt and black pants appeared.

I looked up to his expectant smile and asked, "Would it be possible to get some chicken soup?"

"Of course. You may order whatever you'd like."

Hadley added, "And grilled cheese sandwiches?" She smiled at me and I saw her as a little girl again for a split second. I'd missed her.

"And a coke, if you wouldn't mind," I added.

"Make that two," Hadley said.

As soon as the waiter had left, Hadley asked, "So, how have you been?"

"I've had a tough week, like everybody else." I was acutely aware that people were listening to us.

"How's Gran? Jason?" She smiled sweetly.

"They're both dead." Amazingly, I didn't cry.

Hadley's smile faltered. "Well, we can catch up tomorrow."

I knew she meant while the vampires slept.

"So, that's a pretty blouse," she said.

"Isn't it, though?"

And so we sat and made completely vacuous small talk until our meal arrived. We moved over to the long dining table at one end of the room and sat as we were served our white trash comfort food with fine china and crystal.

I was always aware of Eric's presence, but tried not to watch him too much. I remembered Indira's words: don't draw attention to him.

After Hadley and I ate, we moved back to our sofa. One by one, vampires came over and introduced themselves to me. It felt like a fancy cocktail party only I was the cocktail.

I started to fade and asked Hadley if it would be okay if I went to bed.

"Of course. You should say good night to the Queen."

I stood and walked to the Queen with Hadley. Hadley sat beside her again and I waited until I had her attention.

As she looked up at me, I said, "I hope you don't mind, but I need to rest."

"Of course not. I hope you're feeling better soon, dear." She looked around the room and said, to no one in particular, "Where's Rasul?"

"I can take her to her room," Eric said, suddenly beside me again.

"Lovely. Thank you, Eric. Good night, Sookie."

"Good night."

Eric and I turned and left the room together and headed down the long hallway in silence.

When we got inside my room, I closed the door behind us and turned to him.

"Are you mad at me?" I whispered.

"I have no reason to be angry with you, Sookie." His voice was very cold. "Is there anything I can get you before you go to sleep?"

I searched his eyes, but I hardly recognized this very polite and stiff Eric. "No, I guess not."

"May I heal that for you?"

He was looking at the back of my hand where I'd pulled the needle out.

"Thank you. That would be great."

He took my hand in his and licked the tiny red dot. I watched his tongue and felt a flicker of lust.

"And the marks on your neck. May I heal those as well?"

"Yes, thank you."

He stepped closer and bent down to softly lick the two marks Andre had left. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent.

"Do you have any others?" he asked, inches from my face.

I pushed my sleeves up past my elbows and held my arms out. He licked the right one where I'd donated blood and then the left where I'd had my first IV.

"Thank you," I said as I lowered my sleeves.

He looked into my eyes with cold intensity and asked, "Have you any more fang marks?"

"No."

"No one else has bitten you?"

"No."

"Then, I'll leave you to get some rest."

I so didn't want him to leave, but he was acting so odd—so distant.

"Thank you. I am tired."

"Well, it was nice to see you again. I hope I'll see you again soon," he said.

It was nice to see me again? I was baffled at his coldness.

"Are you leaving?" I asked.

"Soon, yes. I need to get back to Shreveport."

I wanted to go with him, but it felt wrong to say it. I was so hurt at how distant he seemed.

"Here, let me give you my number," he said. He walked to the nightstand and opened the drawer, taking out a pen and small pad of paper, and began to write. "If you're ever in Shreveport and need anything, please don't hesitate to call me. Here's the number to Fangtasia."

He folded the little piece of paper and returned the pen and pad to the drawer.

I took the paper from him and looked into his eyes, but there was nothing there that I recognized. I felt like I didn't know him at all.

"Have a lovely rest, Sookie," he said as he turned and walked out the door.

"Good night," I said to his back as he left.

I sat on the bed feeling so drained. I'd come here hoping I could be with Eric—that we could be together like we had been in Magnolia Grove. And now, I had no one. Jason was gone and Eric didn't want me. I started to cry.

I opened the little piece of paper in my hand and read it through my tears. There was no phone number. It said: Cameras everywhere. I love you.

I folded it back up and wept like a baby.


	18. Chapter 18

Once I was up and had dressed in one of my beautiful new outfits, I opened my door to find a newspaper and a manila envelope with my name on it.

I sat on my bed and opened the envelope first. There was a photocopy of a mug shot of the man who'd come into Merlotte's with Pete to talk to me about Bill's death. There was also a letter:

Sookie,

Eric Northman, the sheriff of Area Five, asked me to give this to you. This man—a former BVA agent-has been arrested for the murder of your brother as well as a sheriff's deputy in Bon Temps.

I was unaware of your brother's death. Please accept my sincere condolences.

Your status here at the palace has obviously changed. Please stop by my office any time after 5 p.m. to take care of your new paperwork.

I hope you're feeling better.

Sincerely,

Minh

I felt a great relief that we now knew who killed Jason. I hoped that meant that it would be safe for me to go home.

I took my newspaper down to the cafeteria and read the news while I ate alone. The biggest news story was about the new Presidential appointee for the New Bureau of Vampire Affairs—which would now be called the NBVA so it would not be confused with the mess of an agency that the old one had become.

The True Blood plant in New Jersey was reopened and back in production, but I couldn't help but wonder what vampires would ever drink True Blood again. This was a real mess. Vampires had only come out of the coffin because of the invention of the synthetic blood, making it supposedly safe for humans to be around them.

Now that vampires could or would no longer drink True Blood, we were back to being their victims. Only now, we couldn't be arbitrarily dumped into rivers or shallow graves or whatever they used to dump us into before. Because they were out in the open, their behavior was carefully scrutinized. I wondered how the two species would ever be able to trust each other again.

Many of the sick vampires were beginning to get back to their normal state of health. And as they healed, they searched for and found more of their kind. The vampire infirmaries across the country continued to be filled.

When I'd finished eating, I checked my watch and went to Minh's office. He stood from his desk as I came in.

"Sookie. I hope you're feeling better."

"Yes, I am, thank you."

He offered for me to sit and so we both did.

"Don't forget to put your choker on before dusk," he said.

"No, I won't, thanks."

"I'm so sorry about your brother, Sookie. Is there anything I can do?"

"I'd like to go home to bury him.'

"I understand. I'll find out if that's possible and let you know."

I didn't like the sound of that.

He went on, "So, let's take care of business here. Obviously, your status has changed. You will continue to work, but your duties have changed—as soon as your health has returned, of course."

"My duties?"

"Yes, you are the Queen's telepath now. You'll be informed when your services are required."

"My services?"

"You'll read humans for her."

"Oh."

"Naturally, your room and board are still provided, and she has added a salary of a hundred thousand dollars a year."

He nonchalantly set a booklet on top of the desk in front of me.

"This tells you all about your benefits package. It's pretty standard—health, disability, life insurance. A 401K plan with matching funds."

He added a piece of paper on top of the booklet.

"Just fill in your bank information here and sign it, and your checks will be deposited directly to your account."

I picked up the paper and began to read it.

"Do you have any questions?" he asked.

"May I take this with me to go over it? Bring it back later?"

"Of course."

I stood and said good bye before going back up to my room. I was reeling at the thought of making so much money for doing essentially what people thought of me as crazy for all my life. But it also felt like I'd be a slave to some very scary vampires and I didn't like that idea at all.

Eric was right when he'd said he couldn't protect me from other vampires here. We couldn't even have a private conversation. I also understood why Eric was being discreet about our relationship. Apparently, the Queen thought of me as her telepath. I didn't want to think of how she or any other vampire would react if they thought Eric "owned" me. Then, I'd just be something to be taken from him.

I was relieved, of course, to know that Eric loved me, but it was evident that he couldn't safely claim me as his. I was clearly on my own here and terrified about that.

I sat on my bed and picked up the phone. I assumed I'd be billed for my calls. I dialed Merlotte's and fought back the tears when I heard Sam's voice.

"Sam. It's Sookie."

"Oh my god, are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm in New Orleans. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Sookie, I have some bad news."

"Jason, right?"

"Yes. You knew?"

"Yeah."

"I'm so sorry. He told me you were safe but out of town, but then when he was killed … well, you can imagine how worried we've all been."

"I'm sorry I worried you, Sam. I didn't want to risk your safety too by involving you. You should assume we're being recorded now, by the way."

"Shit, really?"

"Really."

"They caught the guy who killed Jason, but his partner is still missing. Be careful," he said.

"I will." I knew exactly where that partner was.

"You can stay with me, Sookie. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Thanks, Sam. I'm not sure when I can come home. I'll let you know."

"What do you want to do about Jason's arrangements?"

"I'm not sure. I'm working on that. Can you give me a little time?"

"Sure. And I'll call Bud Dearborn and let him know I heard from you."

"Thanks, Sam. I'll talk to you soon."

When I hung up, I had a good cry, knowing that my life in Bon Temps was over now and I'd never be able to go back to it again.

I heard voices out in the hall and assumed it was dusk. I changed into a dark brown dress and boots and put my choker back on. When I stepped out into the hallway, Rasul was waiting for me.

"Good evening, Sookie. How is your health?"

"Better, thank you."

I took his arm and we proceeded to the main room.

As soon as I entered, I saw Eric with his face buried in a young woman's neck. My heart stopped and I hoped Rasul didn't notice my reaction. I watched Eric lick the wound and then release the uniformed woman who walked out of the room. Eric watched her leave and then his eyes fell on mine. I saw a flicker of emotion pass over his face—guilt? But then he was back to the same hard expression I'd seen the night before.

"Thank you, Rasul," I said as I dropped his arm and walked straight up to Eric.

"Hello, Eric."

"Sookie. How are you tonight?"

"Better, thank you. I wanted to thank you for sending that mug shot to me last night."

"Did you recognize that man?"

"Yes, he was the partner of … another man. They both worked for the BVA."

"I see. I hope that means an end to your troubles with the BVA."

"I hope so."

"I'm very sorry about your brother. I didn't mean to intrude, but I overheard you telling your cousin last night that he'd died. My deepest condolences."

"Thank you."

"Now I understand what brought you to New Orleans."

"I figured the BVA couldn't get to me in here, right?"

I laughed a little, but he was very serious and said nothing.

"I'm hoping to get home to bury him, but I'm not sure if I can leave," I said.

Eric just stared at me and said nothing. I wished I could read vampire minds. But then, if I could, I was sure I'd be dead.

"The queen has offered me a position as her telepath." I changed the subject.

"Congratulations." He did not seem very happy.

"Apparently, acquiring me has been in the works for some time. I was unaware of it, of course."

Again, he stared, and then asked, "When you say, 'for some time,' you mean … ?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps you know," I said, trying to keep the accusation out of my voice.

"I do not." His eyes darted over to the queen. "Congratulations on your new position."

"Thank you. I haven't dotted the "i"s or crossed the "t"s yet. But I assume it's a done deal." That was the best way I could think to ask for his advice.

"Yes, of that I'm quite certain," he answered.

"Yeah, it's not like I have a choice, right?"

"That is correct. As I said, before, congratulations."

We stood for a long moment just looking at each other until Hadley interrupted us.

"Hi Sookie. Eric."

Eric nodded at her.

"Would you like to play a game, Sookie? Rummy? You used to like that."

"Sure. Excuse us, Eric."

Hadley and I found a table and sat to play cards. I'd noticed, of course, that she hadn't come to find me all day. We'd never had a chance to have a private conversation. It had become evident that Hadley was the person who'd told the queen about me, and I knew I'd never be able to trust her again.

Yes, she was my cousin, but I didn't count her among my friends. That list felt very short.

After a couple of games of rummy, I saw a white-shirted human come in and go to Eric. I thought cynically, _he's already fed, bitch_, but then I watched as he read a note she'd handed to him. He dismissed the human and walked over to speak to the Queen. She said something to him and he headed for the door. Just before he left, he turned and made eye contact with me, but I had no idea what he was trying to say to me, if anything.

I returned my attention to the card game.

"Eric's probably going back to Shreveport tonight," Hadley said absently as she studied her cards.

"Why?" I asked.

"I think they found Pam Ravenscroft tonight."

"Is she alive?" I asked.

Hadley looked surprised at my interest.

"Do you know her?" she asked.

"We've met."

"Yeah, she's alive, but barely. She's in the infirmary in Shreveport. Since Eric's her maker, he can heal her a lot quicker with his blood."

"Well, that's good news then," I said, but inside I was panicking at the thought of Eric leaving me here. I had no idea if or when I'd see him again. I was relieved that Pam was probably safe though, and knew that was one less worry for Eric.

Hadley and I ate dinner and then Rasul escorted me downstairs to Minh's office. Minh informed me that I would be unable to go back to Bon Temps at this time to see to my brother's funeral.

I turned in my signed paperwork. I got from my conversation with Eric that I really had no choice in the matter. I was officially under the Queen's thumb. And all alone in the palace with no Eric.


	19. Chapter 19

I woke to the sound of someone knocking on my door. I turned on the light beside my bed and watched the door open. Dr. Ludwig came into the room.

"How are you feeling? I see you're nearly keeping vampire hours," she said.

I climbed out of bed and excused myself to use the bathroom. When I came back into the bedroom, she asked me to sit at the foot of the bed while she examined me.

"Have you been feeling dizzy? Faint?" she asked.

"No."

"How's your appetite?"

"Fine."

"I'm going to clear you for work, but keep the choker on. I don't think you should be bitten just yet."

"Okay. Thanks for coming, doctor."

"No problem. I'll check on you again soon."

I showered and dressed and went downstairs to eat. When I came back up, Rasul was waiting for me at my door.

I took his arm, but we headed in the opposite direction from the main room.

"Do you feel up to working tonight?" he asked.

"Yes. I saw Dr. Ludwig."

"Good. We're ready for you downstairs."

I sat at a conference table beside Rasul. We were joined by two more vampires that I didn't know—a black man and a short white woman named Zeke and Carolina, respectively.

Within a few minutes, a white-shirted human escorted a police officer into the room. He sat in the empty chair beside me.

Carolina explained to him that they had a few questions to ask him.

"You're guarding the front of the palace, is that correct?" Carolina began to the officer.

"Yeah," he said.

"What are your feelings in general about vampires?" she asked.

"They're okay," he said. _A little creepy. _I saw a sleeping child which made no sense.

"Do you mind if I touch you?" I asked.

He looked a little uncomfortable. "No, I guess not."

I placed my hand on his arm and asked, "How do you feel about vampires?"

"They're fine." He thought Carolina looked a little like his daughter and that gave him the creeps. That made more sense to me, so I looked to Carolina to continue.

"What are your feelings about the BVA?" she asked.

"They seem pretty corrupt. It's fucked up." _But I appreciate the overtime._

"Have you ever wanted to harm a vampire?" she asked.

"No." _But I've seen a couple I'd like to fuck._

Carolina looked at me and I nodded.

"Thank you, officer. You may go back to your post," she said.

As soon as the officer left, Zeke asked me, "Anything?"

"He's fine. He's sexually attracted to vampires and has no wish to hurt them," I replied.

Zeke stood and said, "I'll get the next one."

We worked through all the police officers working outside until I got hungry and also needed a bathroom break. Rasul sat with me in the cafeteria while I ate and then we went back to work, this time with some palace employees.

Carla was among the humans I read, and she was surprised to see me in my new position and realized that I must be the telepath the Queen sought through Bill, but thought more about how close I'd be to Gervaise than anything else.

I grew tired and asked to end the evening around 4 a.m. Rasul walked me to my room and said good night.

As I fell alseep, I wondered where Eric was and how Pam was. Even though we couldn't really openly communicate in the palace, I'd gotten some comfort just knowing he was in the building. Without him here, I felt very much alone.

I placed my pillows in a line down the bed and slept on top of them, wishing they were Eric. I tried to remember how safe and secure I'd felt lying on top of him in Magnolia Grove, and wondered if I'd ever feel safe again.

As soon as I woke the following day, I called Sam.

"Sookie, how are you?"

"I'm okay."

"We had the service today. It was really nice. I'm so sorry you couldn't be here."

"Jason's service?"

"Yes. Eric Northman called and explained that you couldn't come. He took care of the arrangements."

"Oh. That was nice."

"When do you think you can come home?"

"I have no idea, Sam. I'll let you know."

"Take care of yourself, Sookie, and be careful."

"I will."

I hung up and sat and had a long cry for Jason and the fact that I'd missed his funeral. It seemed so strange that he was gone and I longed for a chance to give him a final goodbye. I was growing more and more resentful of the vampires here. Thinking of Eric taking care of what should have been my responsibility made me miss Eric even more.

The next two nights were spent reading the human employees. There were more of them, of course, than there were police officers protecting the palace, so it took a lot longer. Amazingly, I didn't find a single person with plans to do harm to the vampires. Even without telepathy, Minh and his staff had done a good job of reading the intentions of people as they were hired.

I missed Eric desperately, but had heard nothing about him. I wondered how long it would take to heal Pam and if he would come back to New Orleans. It was obvious that my fate here was sealed and I was trying not to panic about that and just get through each night.

Dr. Ludwig came to see me late in the afternoon the day after I'd finished reading all the humans.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked as she examined me.

"Yes."

"Able to eat and sleep normally?"

"Under the circumstances, yes."

"Good. I think it's safe to leave off that choker then. Most vampires will ask first if they can bite. Don't let more than one bite you in a single night."

"When you say, 'don't let them,' what exactly does that mean? Can I tell them no?"

"Yes, if you've already been bitten, just say so. They're not barbarians, and you are a special and valuable employee. They won't want to see you drained again. You're not much use to them if you're too sick to work."

"I suppose that's true. Thank you, Doctor."

"Call me if you need me."

"I will, thank you."

I dressed and ate and waited in my room until dusk. When I stepped out into the hall to greet Rasul, his eyes immediately dropped to my bare neck and I felt very uncomfortable. I realized that the choker had made me feel at least a little safer, and without it, I felt extremely vulnerable. I didn't want to be bitten by anyone but Eric, but knew it was impractical to hope that no one else would bite me.

Rasul began to walk me towards the main room.

"I see that you've been cleared by the doctor and that your health has returned," he said as we walked.

"Yes, I'm better."

He opened the door and led me inside as he asked, "May I taste you this evening?"

We were just barely inside the room and I was panicking at the thought of giving Rasul an answer, knowing that I really had no reason to say no to him. But before I'd had a chance to answer, there was a blur of movement in front of us and suddenly, I felt excruciating pain in my neck.

I cried out at the pain at the same time I realized Andre had attacked me and was sucking on my neck. His approach was too fast for me to track with my eyes.

No sooner than the cry of pain escaped my lips, I felt Andre's fangs tear my skin as he was yanked away from me by an equally fast-moving Eric.

Before I could even register what had happened, I clutched my throat, feeling the blood running down my neck and looked down to see Eric and Andre in a frenzied tangle on the floor, growling and tearing violently at each other with their fangs like two mad dogs.

Every person in the room turned to see the spectacle, and more than a few vampires approached the scene quickly. I looked up to see that some of them weren't looking at the fight on the floor, but at me with the unmistakable expression of blood lust on their faces.

I turned and ran from the room, still holding my bleeding neck. I ran down the hall and opened my door, running through the bedroom and into my bathroom. I knew there were no locks on the doors and that any one of the vampires in the palace could run in and bite me and wondered what in the world would stop them. Eric couldn't fight them all.

I climbed into the shower stall and crouched down into the corner, waiting to see who would come in and bite me.

I kept pressure on my neck, hoping that the bleeding had stopped, and waited for what seemed like an eternity.

Finally, I heard someone come into my bedroom. I was terrified and started to cry. The bathroom door opened and Eric appeared in the doorway. He was covered in blood and his suit was torn in several places.

He opened the shower door and came in and sat in the floor, pulling me into his lap. I let go of my neck and clung to him and cried into his bloody shirt.

He stroked my hair and said, "Shhh" and "You're okay," until I'd calmed down.

Once I'd stopped crying, he said, "Let me see," and looked at my neck. He bent down and began to gently lick where Andre had torn the flesh. "It's not too bad," he said into my ear when he'd finished licking.

He took a deep unnecessary breath and said, "Let's get you cleaned up," as we started to get up off the shower floor.

Eric picked me up and sat me on the bathroom counter and began to unbutton my blouse. He licked the blood from my neck and chest as he peeled the blouse away. Once he had my blouse off, he set it on the counter beside me and reached behind me to unhook my bra.

He removed my bra and set it aside and continued licking and cleaning me. I closed my eyes and thought of the times he'd licked me under other circumstances and felt so sad at the loss of our private little world in Magnolia Grove. I remembered Eric's warning that there were cameras everywhere and so I refrained from touching him or responding to his touch in a sexual manner.

Once my neck and chest were clean, Eric took my hand that I'd covered my neck with and thoroughly licked it clean as well.

Eric stepped back and assessed his progress, giving a little nod of approval. He took the stained blouse and bra into the bedroom and returned with a new bra and clean blouse. He set the blouse down on the counter and bit the tags off the bra before tossing them into the trash. I put the bra on and he helped me into the blouse. I buttoned the blouse up as he wet a wash cloth and worked on getting some blood from my hair.

I heard my bedroom door open and the Queen appeared in the bathroom doorway and asked, "How are we doing in here?"

"Fine," Eric answered, still concentrating on cleaning my hair with the wash cloth.

"Oh, good, that doesn't look too bad. I don't think it will leave a scar. Nice work, Eric."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said.

He ran his fingers through my hair and was apparently satisfied that it was free of blood. Then he walked past the Queen into the bedroom, I assumed to add the wash cloth to the laundry bag in my armoire.

The Queen turned around and said, "Eric, why don't you go and get changed or you'll be late. I'll stay with Sookie."

"Yes, Your Majesty," I heard him say, and then I heard the door open and close again.

The Queen stepped into the bedroom and said, "Come in here, my dear. You and I need to have a little talk."

I hopped off the counter and walked into the bedroom. The Queen was sitting on my bed and patted the spot beside her. I sat down and waited to see what the vampire Queen of Louisiana had to say to me.


	20. Chapter 20

Sophie-Anne Leclerq had a sympathetic expression on her face as she began.

"Well, aren't you just the belle of the ball?" she asked.

I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with you, Sookie." She cocked her head as if to get a different view of me. "Where's your choker?"

"In my dresser."

"Well, let's put it back on."

I got off the bed and retrieved the choker from my dresser drawer and sat back down beside the Queen. She took it from my hand and fastened it around my neck.

"I'd like you to keep this on for now."

"Okay."

"And don't come back into the parlor tonight, alright?"

"Alright."

"You seem to cause quite a stir. Andre is obviously very interested in you. And Eric Northman seems to think you're his own personal pet. I don't like seeing what I just saw in my parlor. If you were just any human, I'd have you dismissed. But if you were just any human, I wouldn't have this problem either."

Again, I was at a loss for words.

"Let me ask you something, Sookie. What would _you_ like?"

I wasn't expecting that question, but I knew the answer, of course. "I want to go home."

"Yes, I would imagine that you do. Do you not like your new job?"

"I don't mind it at all. I don't mind reading people."

"And do you not like your room here? Your lovely new clothes? Is the food not to your liking?"

"It's all very nice, but I don't have … um … you know, free will."

"I see. Well, let me give this some thought. I obviously won't be just letting you go home, but I do want you to feel comfortable here. And you obviously won't be comfortable as long as there's a feeding frenzy every time you step into a room of vampires."

She stood up and continued, "I'll need you for a reading shortly. Rasul has your schedule. Feel free to leave your room, but just keep that choker on and stay out of the parlor tonight, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."

"My pleasure, dear."

And with that, she left the room.

I double-checked for blood on me in the mirror and Eric seemed to have gotten every bit. I was glad to know he was back in New Orleans, and in spite of my ordeal, I was grateful for the few minutes alone with him, even if it had been under the scrutiny of the cameras that were apparently everywhere.

It felt so good for him to hold me and comfort me when I was scared. When he was in the room, everything just seemed better.

I was glad to see he was well enough to fight. I knew it was something that worried him in Magnolia Grove, and now I understood why.

I was also relieved to see that the Queen was somewhat reasonable, even if she had no intentions of giving me back my life. At least she recognized that having me cowering in the floor of my shower all the time wouldn't be very productive.

I opened my door to a waiting Rasul. He held his arm out for me in his usual style.

I took his arm and asked, "Could I trouble you to take me to the cafeteria for a cup of tea?"

"It would be my pleasure, Sookie," he responded as we headed down the hallway. "And please accept my heartfelt apology for what happened earlier."

"Apology accepted, although it wasn't your fault."

I sat alone at a table and drank my tea and read a newspaper that had been left behind while Rasul stood beside me.

After about half an hour, he said, "You have an appointment, Sookie. Would you like to bring your refreshment?"

"No, I'm done here, thanks."

We walked to the conference room in which I had done my previous readings. Eric and Sophie-Anne were sitting across the table from a human man with thinning brown hair and glasses. Eric was in a clean black suit and there were no marks on him from his scuffle with Andre.

Rasul excused himself and closed the door behind him.

"Sookie, this is Dr. Brandeis," Eric said.

I shook his hand as he stood since he was a human. "How do you do, Dr. Brandeis?" I said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he responded.

I sat beside him and asked, "May I touch you?"

He seemed a little surprised, as they always are, but said, "Sure."

Eric began the questions with, "How long have you been a chemist?"

"Nineteen years." _Should I count when I was getting my PhD?_

"How do you feel about vampires?" Eric asked.

"I've only met a few, and they seem very nice." _You've had exceptional manners._

"How do you feel about the True Blood poisonings?"

"I found it appalling. It was murder, plain and simple. I'm sure we'll look back and see this as one of the darkest times in our nation's history." _I wonder if these two were poisoned._

"Do you have any connections to anyone responsible for the poisoning of True Blood or its cover up?"

"No."_ Not that I know of, anyway._

"Do you feel confident that our product will be successful in preventing further poisonings?"

"Yes, I have every confidence."_ And am very excited about the new venture._

"Would you ever willingly harm a vampire?"

"No." _They're people too, aren't they?_

"Sookie?" Eric asked. "Please speak freely."

I let go of Dr. Brandeis. "He's telling the truth," I answered.

"Don't hold back," Eric added.

"Um … he wonders if you and Sophie-Anne were poisoned. He wonders if he should include getting his PhD in his years of experience. He thinks you have exceptional manners. He's excited about the new venture. I think that's it."

"Thank you, Sookie. You're excused," Eric said.

I stood to leave and extended my hand to Dr. Brandeis. He looked at me as if I had two heads, but he remembered to shake my hand.

"Sookie is a telepath," Eric said in explanation. "Of course, that is confidential."

"Of course," he said to Eric, and then to me, "It was a pleasure to meet you."

When Rasul returned me to my room, I was surprised to see a small cabinet across from my bed with a flat screen TV sitting on top of it.

I opened the door and asked Rasul about it.

"The Queen doesn't want you to be bored since you don't have the parlor at your disposal tonight."

"Okay, thanks."

I watched a little TV, which was great. It was probably crazy, but it made me feel less isolated from the rest of the world. I got caught up on some news and watched part of an old Twilight episode. Of course, I felt like I was living in one.

When I got hungry, I stepped out to find Rasul to take me to the cafeteria. We'd just begun our way down the hall when suddenly Andre appeared in front of us. I had a brief thought that he might apologize to me like Rasul had, but, of course, he was no Rasul.

In a motion that was too fast for me to track, his arm was suddenly in front of my face and there was blood on it.

"Drink," he said.

Rasul began to growl beside me and I thought, _oh no, here we go again._

"I don't want to," I said and took a step back.

He stepped closer, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before there was nowhere else for me to go. I was nearly against the wall already.

"No," I stated firmly, and wondered if it might get me killed.

Suddenly, Eric was in the hallway and said, "What's going on here?"

"I want her to drink my blood," Andre said as if it were the most obvious and normal thing in the world.

I glanced at Rasul, who'd stopped growling, but still looked very scary as he eyed Andre.

"I wasn't going to bite her. I see the choker," Andre added. "She needs to be tied to us more securely. These are the Queen's wishes."

Eric was completely still as he looked at Andre and I wondered what was going through his mind. He finally spoke. "She already is."

Andre lowered his arm and looked at me. "You've had his blood?" he asked.

I didn't answer and had no idea what I should do.

"Yes, she has," Eric said.

My heart raced. Was Eric putting himself in jeopardy?

The parlor door opened and I turned to see the Queen on her way to our little gathering.

"Am I going to have to muzzle you all? Have you neutered?" she asked, clearly annoyed as she came to stand beside Andre. "What's going on here?"

"Apparently, Eric has already given blood to Sookie," Andre said in a tone that sounded like a child tattling to the teacher.

"Is this true?" the Queen asked, looking at me.

Eric said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"I'm asking Sookie," she said, ignoring Eric's answer.

"Yes," I answered.

"I see," she said. "How many times?"

I wondered what that had to do anything. I looked at Eric and he said, "Twice."

That seemed significant and there was a moment of silence in our circle.

Finally, Andre spoke, "Well, then she should have my blood as well. What can it hurt?"

"I'd rather not," I said and all eyes turned to me. "If it's all the same," I added meekly.

"I can give her mine, Your Majesty, and we will be bonded—a secure connection. Much more secure than having the blood of two vampires."

My gut told me that being bonded wasn't something I'd want forced on me against my will. Even if it was Eric I was bonded to, it sounded suspiciously like another way to deprive me of my free will.

"Would you like to be bonded to Eric, Sookie?" the Queen asked.

I looked at Eric, but couldn't read his expression.

"I don't know. I don't know what being bonded means," I said.

"Fair enough," said the Queen. "I think we're done here tonight. Whether she and Eric become bonded will be decided by Sookie and Eric. It's between them. I'm satisfied we're connected enough to her through Eric's blood. Now, back away from my telepath, gentlemen."

Everyone took a step back and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Rasul stuck his elbow out and I took it, noting that my hand was shaking.

"I'm going to dinner. Please excuse me," I said and then turned with Rasul and walked away.


	21. Chapter 21

For the next four nights, I stayed in my room most of the night. Rasul escorted me to the cafeteria when I was hungry and I read two new employees in the conference room. I stayed out of the parlor and never saw Eric.

I could see what my future held here and was extremely unhappy.

When I woke on the fifth night, I found a suitcase inside my room by the door. I went into the bathroom and there was a matching overnight bag on the counter with some of my toiletries in it. Apparently, I was going on a trip. I had a brief thought that maybe I'd be going home, but knew that was unlikely.

I got dressed and Rasul and I went downstairs for me to eat. When I got back to my room, I was surprised to find Sophie-Anne sitting on my bed watching TV.

"How was your meal?" she asked when I came in.

"Delicious, thank you," I replied.

She patted the bed beside her and turned the TV off with the remote. I sat down beside her.

"You're about to make me the wealthiest monarch in the country. Maybe in the world," she said.

"I am?"

"Yes, you are. I know you're unhappy, but I'm working on an alternative for you that I hope will please you more. You were right when you said you've lost your free will. I understand how that must feel. I can't give it back to you because then someone else will simply take it. I won't risk that. But I hope I can make you happier."

"Thank you. I would be most grateful," I said.

"You're going to Washington, D.C., tonight for a very important reading."

"Oh, okay."

"Eric will be there. There won't be any cameras in the hotel rooms."

I didn't know what to say.

"Do you love him?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, hoping it was the right answer.

"I thought that might be the case," she stated matter-of-factly.

She stood and left the room without saying a goodbye and I finished packing my suitcase in the bathroom.

Rasul and I and a human security guard named Ross took a private jet to Washington and then a limousine drove us to our hotel. Of course, I was unaccustomed to such luxury, but can't say I really enjoyed it under the circumstances. I was, however, very happy that I would see Eric and possibly have some privacy with him for the first time since we'd left Magnolia Grove.

I checked in at the front desk and said good night to Ross who was to get some sleep so he could guard me during the day.

Rasul and I dropped our suitcases off into our rooms and then went to the mezzanine level of the hotel to a conference room.

Eric and Pam and two human men and two other vampires were sitting at a table, waiting for us. Rasul excused himself and closed the door behind him.

"Good evening, Sookie," Eric said. "I believe you know Pam."

Pam and I nodded to each other. I was glad to see she looked in perfect health—at least, for a vampire.

"This is the King of California and the King of New Jersey."

I nodded to both vampires.

"And this is Senator Warden. He heads the Committee for Commerce, Science, and Transportation."

I shook the hand of a tall, gray-haired white man who stood from his seat.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Senator," I said.

"Thank you. And you," he replied.

Eric continued, "And this is Cyrus Rathburne, the director of the New Bureau of Vampire Affairs."

I shook another old white guy's hand as he stood. "How do you do?" I said.

"Nice to meet you," he responded.

Wow, I thought, this was a little more than reading the new employees at the palace in New Orleans.

"Please be seated," Eric said, and we all complied. I sat between the two humans.

"May I touch you?" I asked the senator and then the director.

They both said yes.

"Let's begin with Senator Warden, Sookie," Eric stated.

I touched his arm and watched Eric.

"Senator, thank you so much for coming tonight. I hope we're not keeping you up too late," he said.

"Not at all," the senator responded.

"Sookie?"

"Um … he does want to go soon."

"Please go on," Eric added.

"He hopes to get out in time to meet a woman with dark brown hair."

"Thank you," Eric said. "Now please touch Mr. Rathburne." 

I did, and released the arm of the senator.

"Mr. Rathburne. Thank you for coming. It's a pleasure to meet you," Eric said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Mr. Rathburne answered politely.

"Sookie?"

"He is pleased to meet you … um … and especially Pam," I said.

"Please go on," Eric said.

"Okay. He … uh … wonders … um … if Pam's vagina is cool to the touch."

Pam snickered a little.

"Don't hold back," Eric continued.

"Okay. He wonders if Pam's pussy would feel cold if he put his cock in it."

"Okay, that's enough!" Mr. Rathburne spoke out. "I get it. Yes, she is telepathic."

"Senator?" Eric asked.

"Yes, yes, I agree. But that woman is just a friend."

"Thank you, Sookie. You're excused," Eric said.

I stood and said good bye, but neither human stood or extended a hand to me.

I waited in my room for what seemed an eternity trying to stay awake. I finally heard a knock at the door and I jumped up and opened it to see Eric and Pam standing in the hallway with Rasul.

"Get your purse and room key," Eric said to me.

I came out into the hall and Eric said to Rasul, "She's coming to my room. You're welcome to follow."

Rasul looked at me and asked, "May I be excused, Sookie?"

"Yes, of course. I'll see you tomorrow night."

"She'll be in my room at dusk tomorrow," Eric added.

Rasul nodded and took off down the hallway and Pam, Eric and I went to the elevators.

Once inside the elevator, Pam said, "You kicked ass nicely tonight, Sookie."

"Thanks. I'm so glad to see you're looking well."

"Thank you. And on behalf of all the undead, thank you for saving our species singlehandedly. Well-done."

"Thanks," I said, "But I wasn't alone." I looked at Eric and he smiled.

As we emerged onto the tenth floor—one with no windows I presumed, Eric said to Pam, "Wake Sookie's human guard and have him wait outside my room. Tell him to expect a lengthy wait and to take his breaks as needed. Sookie will wait for him if she wakes and he isn't there."

"I will. Good night," she said.

Pam kept walking and Eric produced a card key and opened his door.

As soon as it closed behind us, he grabbed me and kissed me. It was a hard, passionate kiss. Both of us clung tightly to each other as we pressed our bodies together.

I hopped up and wrapped my legs around Eric and he carried me over to the bed and set me down on my back. His body covered mine and I groaned at the contact and feel of being devoured by him as he continued to kiss me and press himself into me.

He broke the kiss and began to unfasten my choker, and then work on my blouse buttons and bra as he said, "We don't have much time. There's so much to tell you, but I need you now."

He stopped speaking because his mouth was sucking on my breast. I wanted to answer him, but all I could do was moan incoherently as I blindly groped for the buttons of his shirt.

Eric's hands went to the top button of my pants and so I did the same, searching for his belt buckle. Eric's mouth left my nipple as he pulled my pants and panties off, sending my shoes to the floor somewhere behind him in the process.

I opened my legs and felt Eric's talented fingers while I continued to frantically unbutton and unzip his pants. I got his pants and boxers pushed down to his thighs when his hand left me to guide him inside me.

His mouth covered mine as he entered me and we both groaned loudly. As he pushed hard, I cried out a few times only because he was so huge, but I pushed back with equal intensity. We were fast and rough and it felt like absolute mindless ecstasy. My only thought and only word spoken into his mouth was, "Eric."

Eric's mouth left mine and he looked into my eyes, but never broke the intense rhythm. He said, "Fuck, Sookie, dawn's coming."

I didn't answer, but just kept moving my body and I touched his face. I was so close to coming, but didn't want to close my eyes.

Eric's gaze was intense, and he said, "I love you," just before his eyes closed and his entire body went limp on top of me. His head fell forward against the side of my head and I was crushed by the sudden dead weight of him.

The bed was still. My heavy breathing was the only sound in the room. I was suddenly struck by the humor of the situation and began to laugh. It felt amazing to laugh, and I realized it had been so long since I'd felt the pleasure of laughter. I just closed my eyes and felt Eric on me and in me and laughed out loud in complete joy.

Eric soon lost his erection and I felt him slip out of me. I took that as my cue that the lovemaking was over and pushed him off me and onto his back. I sat up and looked at him. His hair was messed up and his shirt was only halfway unbuttoned, his suit jacket still on. His pants and boxers were down around his thighs. I bent forward and kissed his flaccid penis.

Then I looked down at myself, naked except for the bra just above my breasts and of course, my blouse was still on, but open down the front. My purse was on the bed beside me.

I climbed off the bed and removed my blouse and bra. Then I picked my pants and panties off of the floor and set all the items on a chair along with my purse. I went into Eric's bathroom and washed my face. I found Eric's toothbrush and squirted toothpaste on it and stood in the open doorway to ask, "Eric, do you mind if I use your toothbrush?"

I took his silence as a no, and finished getting ready for bed.

First, I pulled the covers back on the side of the bed that didn't have the rudely exposed vampire on it. Then I went to work removing Eric's clothes. It was a challenge, but I managed. Once he was naked and his clothes were hung up, I kind of rolled him around and had to push with my feet, but eventually, I got him in a reasonable position with his head on a pillow and his body underneath the covers. Then I turned off the lights and climbed into bed, settling myself directly on top of Eric in spite of the generous size of the bed. I pulled the covers over us.

I closed my eyes and in the pitch black room, it was easy to imagine we were safely tucked away in our little house in Magnolia Grove, and I fell asleep content and secure for the first time in what seemed a very long time.


	22. Chapter 22

I woke up feeling happy when I felt my vampire mattress beneath me and realized where I was. But then I felt sad because I knew I'd be leaving after dusk to return to New Orleans. I hoped Eric was coming with me, but knew that we wouldn't be able to have privacy like this at the palace.

I turned the light on and reluctantly got up to use the bathroom. I took a quick shower and put my clothes back on and then sat on the bed and watched Eric. I'd never get tired of looking at Eric. Even though it was odd to watch a person sleep without breathing (I'd never seen Bill in his daytime rest), he still seemed so peaceful and of course, looked quite beautiful. I'd missed him so much since Magnolia Grove. It seemed like a world away.

I couldn't stay and stare at Eric all day since I was getting quite hungry, so I kissed him on the lips, stood and picked up my purse. I grabbed Eric's card key from the floor where he'd dropped it while we were kissing. _He won't be needing it today_, I thought.

I found Ross sitting in a chair outside the door. He stood as I came out into the hallway.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I hope you don't mind that I got a chair to wait."

"Of course not. Have you eaten?"

"I had a late breakfast, but that was hours ago."

"Well, I'm hungry. Let's go downstairs."

Ross and I ate his dinner and my breakfast in the restaurant in the lobby. Then he waited outside my room as I changed clothes and repacked my bags.

I wheeled my suitcase to the elevator and up to Eric's room and told Ross to go and get his own things packed as soon as the sun set.

"I'll be with a vampire, obviously, so I'll be fine. We'll all meet in the lobby to go to the airport, I guess."

"I'll be here until dusk then," he answered as he sat in his chair.

I closed and locked the door once I was in Eric's room. I turned on the bedside light, took my clothes off and settled back on top of Eric and just relished the feel of him beneath me, waiting for dusk.

I was almost asleep when I heard his fangs click down and felt Eric get hard. I kissed his chest and lifted my head to look at him. He had a huge smile on his face.

He wrapped his arms around me and rolled us over so that I was beneath him. He just looked at me smiling for a moment and then started to laugh a little.

"Did I crush you last night? Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." I smiled back.

"And do you still love me?" he teased.

"Completely."

He became serious and said, "I want to wake to you every night, Sookie."

He kissed me gently and then held me close. He said into my ear, "I never should have left you in Magnolia Grove. Can you ever forgive me?"

I started to cry as I remembered the nightmare that followed our parting. I saw Jason's open eyes as he lay dead on his sofa. I thought of how afraid and alone I'd felt going to New Orleans, not knowing what to do next, and of how alone and trapped I'd felt since entering the palace.

Eric went on, "I should have gone with you and made sure you were safe. I must have been out of my mind to let you go alone. It was a mistake. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't know what happened. Jason was dead when I got there. So was the sheriff's deputy in front of the house."

Eric looked at me and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Had I been there, perhaps I could have turned him. Would he have wanted that?"

"I don't know. We never talked about anything like that."

"And what about you, my love? What would you wish? For yourself, I mean."

"I … uh … I don't know."

He kissed me tenderly again.

"Wait, I do know," I said. "Yes. Turn me. If one of the bad guys gets me, turn me. I want to be with you."

He just nodded.

I added, "I mean, I don't want to be turned now. I just mean, if I die. But I don't want to die."

"Nor do I want you to, love. I'll do everything in my power to prevent it."

Eric kissed me again, this time with more passion, but he was still gentle. His hands began to caress my body and I opened my legs for him to enter me. It was slow and reverent-so unlike the frenzied coupling of the previous night. When he told me he loved me, I cried from the beauty of it and he held me and kissed away my tears. He fed from my breast as he always had in Magnolia Grove.

Afterwards, when we were lying in each other's arms, completely happy and sated, Eric broke the spell by saying, "You need to get dressed. Your plane will take you back to New Orleans."

"You're not going with me?"

"No. I still have meetings here. I can't tell you how I agonize every night at the thought of your being at the palace without me. Have you been bitten again?"

"No. The Queen said I could wear the choker all the time. And I never go into the parlor."

"That's good. The Queen is beginning to understand your value."

"I told her I love you. She asked me. I hope that wasn't a mistake," I said.

"No, it's fine. She's not a fool. I'm pretty sure she knows what's between us now. She's had some time to adjust to the idea and has shown none of the objection I'd feared. I'm hoping to use that to our advantage."

Eric's cell phone rang from the closet. He got out of bed and retrieved it from his jacket pocket. He looked at it and said, "Your car's waiting downstairs," as he tapped a message into the keypad.

I got up and started putting my clothes back on.

Eric said, "I wish we had more time. I have so much to tell you. Just know that I'm working on a plan that will get you out of the palace. Just try to hang on. It won't be much longer, I hope."

Once I was dressed, I handed Eric his room key from my pocket and picked up my purse. He walked me to the door and took me in his arms.

"Sookie, I didn't know about Bill. About why he went to Bon Temps."

"Okay," I said.

"Never forget that I love you and I will not stop trying until I can free you from the palace. Just stay alive and be patient. I'll take care of everything else."

"Survival is the first order of business," I said.

"That's my girl." He smiled a soft smile and kissed me.

When he broke the kiss, Eric opened the door to a waiting Rasul. Eric handed Rasul my carry-on bag and wheeled my suitcase out, completely ignoring the fact that he was stark naked. Rasul didn't flinch either. I blushed enough for the three of us.

Eric said, "I'll see you soon," as Rasul and I headed down the hallway. I waved my hand but didn't look back, not trusting that I'd be able to control my tears.

When we got into the elevator and the doors had closed, Rasul asked, "Do you mind if I ask you Sookie, are you Eric's?"

"Well, I don't know much about your rules, but yes, in my heart, I am."

"Thank you for telling me. I will honor your heart."

"Thank you, Rasul."

"You should put your choker back on."

"Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me."

I took it from my purse and Rasul helped me fasten it before we exited the elevator and found our waiting limousine to take us to the airport and back to my beautiful prison in New Orleans.


	23. Chapter 23

Two nights after I'd been back in the palace after my trip to Washington, Rasul escorted me downstairs to read some employees for Zeke and Carolina.

The first man I read was named Bobby Burnham. He was honest, but I was puzzled as to why I saw so many images of Eric in his head. It wasn't my place to interpret what I'd read, so when he left, I simply reported that he thought of Eric Northman a great deal when he answered the routine questions.

Later that night, the Queen entered my room. I turned off the TV and invited her to sit beside me on the bed.

"So, what did you think of the humans you read this evening?" she asked.

"They were fine. None felt any animosity towards vampires. They told the truth. One man thought of Eric a great deal, but I don't know if that was significant or not," I said.

"Bobby Burnham?" she asked.

"Yes."

"He's Eric's day man," she said.

"Oh."

"They were all flown in from Shreveport to meet you. So, you would feel secure with those humans? Trust them?"

"Yes."

"Can Eric trust them?"

"Yes."

"Good." She studied my face for a moment before continuing. "If you had a choice, Sookie, would you prefer to live here or in Shreveport?"

I was surprised at the question, and my heart sped up a little. I thought all my choices had been taken from me.

"Shreveport. Would I still be a prisoner?"

The Queen took a deep breath that was unnecessary and said, "I don't like the word prisoner."

"I'm sorry. Would I be free to come and go as I please?"

"In a way. Your days of a carefree existence are behind you, I'm afraid. You will always require a bodyguard from now on. That will never change no matter where you live. Others will want you, and I want to keep you. Keeping you here may seem barbaric to you, but I can assure you that your life belonging to another vampire monarch could be far worse."

"I can imagine."

"I'm not your enemy, Sookie. On the contrary. My desire is to keep you safe and happy—but in that order." She paused for a beat. "So, you saw Eric."

"Yes."

"And do you still love him?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I will keep that in mind."

She stood to leave, but when she got to the door, she turned back and said, "You know, I believe Bill Compton was in love with you."

I felt a sharp pain in my chest at the mention of his name. "Do you?"

"Yes, and now I can see why. He was balky, uncooperative, taking entirely too long to bring you in. I believe now that he had fallen in love with you and wanted to keep you for himself."

"Thank you for telling me that."

"I don't blame him. I'm sorry he's gone."

"So am I."

She turned to leave, but when she got to the door she said, "And I'm sorry about your brother," without looking back.

The following day, I got my period, and decided I didn't want to leave my room unless it was absolutely necessary. I had no idea if it would make a difference or not, but I didn't want to be around any vampires just in case.

I had my food sent to my room during the night and tried to wake before dusk every day, although my clock had been completely turned around. Late in the afternoon, I would come out of my room and eat in the cafeteria, and then I'd find Ross and he would walk with me out onto the grounds of the palace. I wasn't allowed to leave the perimeter because it wasn't considered safe, of course, but at least I got some fresh air.

There were still some police officers out front, but not as many now that the news had died down some. There were still tourists and they would gawk at Ross and me as we walked or sat on a bench. It wasn't exactly relaxing.

Then, I'd rush to get into my room before the sun set so I wouldn't have to see any vampires. Luckily, I wasn't needed for any readings.

I tried so hard to remember Eric's words to be patient, but I could feel a deep depression creeping into my heart. On the afternoon Ross and I emerged to find it raining, I just went back to bed and slept, feeling very down.

At the end of the week, I was watching TV when there was a soft knock on the door and Sophie-Anne came into my room.

I sat up and made room for her, and she sat in her usual spot on the bed. She had a little cardboard box in her hand. It was similar to a cigarette box like Marlboros come in but it was longer and black.

"Can you guess what the sales of True Blood are now?" she began. I'd noticed she sometimes had an odd way of carrying on conversations.

"I would imagine they're pretty bad," I answered.

"Yes. The NBVA keeps declaring that nothing like the silver poisoning could ever happen again, but of course, we know that's not true. It could happen again tomorrow."

"I suppose so."

"The test for silver compounds is very simple. Did you know that?"

"No."

"Recently, quite a few people came up with the idea to test True Blood, but Eric was the first one to apply for a patent for the process."

I was surprised to hear that and my interest was piqued, naturally, at the mention of Eric's name.

"I didn't know that," I said.

"Several companies have tried to set up vampire-only manufacturers of the tests. This week, vampires are eager to work producing the product, but can you imagine vampires working long-term at the menial tasks required in the manufacturing business?"

"Not really."

"We don't make very reliable factory workers."

I just nodded.

"So, now we have a problem. We can produce silver tests for sale that would make drinking True Blood an option again for vampires. We _need_ vampires to drink True Blood to restore normal relations between humans and vampires, as you can imagine."

"I can."

"But what would prevent the silver tests from being tampered with just as the True Blood was? How easy would it be for a vampire hater to get a job at the plant that makes the tests?"

"Probably pretty easy."

"Can you guess what Eric's suggestion was to solve this problem?"

My heart swelled. "Yes."

"If a telepath regularly read the human employees, we could guarantee that _our _manufacturing plant is safe."

"Yes, you could."

"And that would make ours the _only _plant to produce and sell safe testers. Can you imagine the money to be made in such an endeavor?"

"I can."

"And can you imagine the problem I might have in Eric's little plan?"

"No." I thought it sounded like a great plan.

"How can we trust the telepath?"

I didn't have an answer for her.

She continued, "She feels that her free will has been stolen. She thinks of herself as a prisoner of vampires. Why would she be trustworthy?"

"Did Eric have an answer?" I asked.

"Yes, he did. He told me about a place called Magnolia Grove. He told me a story of a woman who risked everything to save a vampire. I said, 'Yes, a vampire she is in love with.' And he said, 'No, one she had met once.' Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Rasul and your human bodyguard, Ross, confirmed that you slept in Eric's hotel chamber while he was in his daytime rest in Washington."

"I did."

"I have never heard of a vampire trusting a human to share his daytime resting place. Ever. And Eric Northman is the most careful vampire I know. There's a reason he's a thousand years old."

She handed me the little box in her hand.

It was black with red letters on the front that said "Bloodtest," and a little drop of blood dripped from the B. Beneath the logo, in smaller letters, it said, "Vampire owned. Telepath protected."

I smiled and looked up to Sophie-Anne. I couldn't read her expression.

"You can open it. This is a prototype," she said.

I tore the cellophane off and opened the lid to reveal six little white plastic tubes. I removed a tube and opened the top that was designed like the top of a bottle of vitamins or Tylenol. Once it was open, I punched through the styrofoam seal.

"The packaging is more expensive than the product," she said.

I turned the tube over and a white paper straw fell out.

"You just stick the straw into a bottle of True Blood. It turns green if there is even a trace of a silver compound in the blood."

"Where are these made?" I asked and held my breath.

"Shreveport, Louisiana."

I smiled and felt the sting of happy and hopeful tears as I said, "Thank you."

"Oh, this isn't for you. This is for me."

"Okay," I said.

"We have a meeting with Eric downstairs in fifteen minutes," she said. "You can keep that." She gestured to the little box I still held in my hand.

And then she stood and wordlessly left the room. I got ready to see Eric.


	24. Chapter 24

Rasul escorted me downstairs to one of the meeting rooms. I could hardly contain myself, I was so excited at the prospect of going to live in Shreveport. I kept hearing Eric's words telling me to survive and be patient. And now, hopefully my wait was over.

Rasul left me alone in the conference room and I sat for a few minutes listening to my own heartbeat.

The door opened and Eric and Sophie-Anne entered, followed by Minh. I stood and smiled at Eric, who looked very serious. I nodded to the Queen who ignored me and I said hello to Minh who said a quiet hello back.

We all sat at the table.

"I'm doubling Sookie's salary," Sophie-Anne began with no introduction.

Minh took out a pad and pen from his jacket pocket and made a note.

"She is to be provided with room and board and a personal bodyguard twenty-four hours a day. Human during the day, naturally. She will have a cook and a cleaner at her disposal as well."

Minh kept writing.

"And of course, a car, and the expenses that entails. What else? Oh, and appropriate clothes. Eric will continue to pay the expenses to keep her house as well as the one she recently inherited from her brother in Bon Temps and continue to send us the bill. If you can think of anything else, take care of it, alright? Just see to her needs."

"Of course," Minh answered.

"You're excused," she said to Minh and he stood and left quickly.

"Now," she said to Eric, "You have her room ready?"

"Yes. We're all set. She'll want for nothing and be very comfortable."

She turned to me and said, "Do you want to go live at Eric's house?"

"Yes," I said, trying to contain my eagerness.

"Now, if for some reason you don't want to live with Eric, I want you to call me and tell me. My cell phone number is in your purse. Even Eric doesn't have that. We'll keep you safe, but here's where that 'happy' part comes in."

She leaned forward, looking me directly in the eye and continued, "You are in my retinue, but you are not in Eric's. There is a big difference. You are not required to let him feed from you, have sex with you, own you. Do you understand?"

I was not expecting that, but said, "Yes, I understand."

"Do you understand, Eric?"

"I do, Your Majesty," he replied.

She returned her attention to me and said, "If you aren't comfortable at Eric's house, we can work something out so that you can live in Bon Temps. Or if you prefer, Magnolia Grove. They're both close enough to Shreveport."

I must have looked a little confused, so she went on, "Eric is buying that property there and tearing that ridiculous house down. You can have whatever house you choose built and live there if you'd like."

"Thank you," I said to both Eric and Sophie-Anne.

"I'm working on that 'free will' thing. How am I doing?" she asked.

"You're doing fine, Your Majesty," I said.

She stood abruptly and left the room without another word.

Eric and I just sat and looked at each other for a long moment. I could hardly breathe.

Finally, he stood and walked to open the door. I got up and followed him. Rasul was waiting in the hallway holding my purse.

"Have a safe flight, Sookie," Rasul said as he handed me my purse, and then he bowed his head.

I nodded and said, "Thank you, Rasul." I looked to Eric, "We're leaving now?"

"The plane is waiting," he said.

I hesitated, wondering if there was anything in my room I needed. I thought of my car in the parking garage. It became clear very quickly that there was nothing that I needed here except to get out.

"Good night," I said to Rasul and I started towards the door with Eric right beside me. I was free to leave and I was leaving with Eric.


	25. Chapter 25

Eric held my hand on the plane, but otherwise showed no displays of affection. I assumed that we may be being recorded since the plane most likely belonged to the Queen.

Eric told me all about Bloodtest and how he'd created the company after I'd read Dr. Brandeis for him. The Area Five vampires assisted in starting the company and developing the product, but now that Eric had the approval of the NBVA and the FDA (via the Senate Committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation) as well as the vampire monarchs' endorsement in various states, he was ready to begin production.

He had applicants lined up for me to read, and once the human employees were in place, Bloodtest would be off and running. I would stay in Shreveport to periodically read the humans to make sure they continued to be trustworthy. Eric would run the company himself.

The Area Five vampires would continue to manage Fangtasia for Eric, but I could see that the revenue from a vampire bar would be a drop in the bucket compared to what Bloodtest would bring in. I assumed that the Queen would get a percentage of the profits of Bloodtest, but I didn't ask about any of that, knowing it was none of my business. I was just so grateful that Eric had found a place for me in the company, allowing me to leave the palace.

Eric said, "I regret that by placing you in Shreveport, we're also outing you as a telepath. But I couldn't see another way to free you."

"It's okay. It was just a matter of time before that cat was out of the bag. Apparently, my fate was sealed by Hadley and I never knew it," I replied.

When we landed in Shreveport, I said good bye to the pilot and co-pilot, both of whom I'd read at the palace my first week there.

We found Eric's car which was a little red Corvette, and soon we were driving to Eric's house—my new home.

We were fairly far away from the city when we pulled into a driveway and stopped at the guard gate. I recognized the man in the little booth—another person I'd read at the palace. He looked at both Eric and me and waved us through. We entered a property that was enclosed by high brick walls; the house loomed before us.

It wasn't as big as the palace, but it was still huge. Unlike the palace, it had windows and looked more like a stately plantation home.

Eric parked in the separate four car garage and showed me my new Lexus.

"If you don't like it, we can get you something else," he said.

"No, it's quite beautiful, Eric."

Then, he took my hand as he led me to the front door of the house. Before he unlocked it, the door opened and a smiling Pam stood aside and invited us in.

"Welcome to your new home, Sookie," she said.

"Thank you," I responded and tried not to gawk at the entry way.

Pam, Eric, and I toured the house, which reminded me of Tara or Twelve Oaks from Gone with the Wind. I said hello to the human staff, all of whom I'd met and read in New Orleans. I had my own cook and daytime bodyguard. There were two housekeepers and a man who took care of the grounds.

Pam excused herself as Eric and I climbed the winding staircase, I assumed so we could have some privacy. We walked down the upstairs hallway and came to a door with a keypad beside it. I watched Eric punch in the code and then we stepped into the secure wing.

We passed Pam's suite and continued down the long hall until we came to Eric's. It had a huge master bedroom with dark rich furnishings. There were drapes covering the windows, but the glass panes had been replaced with some sort of solid material so sunlight couldn't enter the room. I was relieved to see that Eric's bathroom had a toilet.

"Does that work?" I asked.

"I had it checked last week, and yes, it does. I hope it's better than a bush," he teased.

I set my purse down on the dresser and stepped closer to Eric. He gently took me in his arms and kissed me. Then he looked into my eyes and said, "Welcome home, my love."

We held each other and just rocked gently back and forth for a long moment until he said, "Would you like to see your room?"

"I thought this was my room," I said.

"No, this is our room—where we'll sleep. But you have your own room to use during the day. I wouldn't want you shut in here all day without access to sunlight."

He took me by the hand and we walked back down the hall and through the security door. Then we turned and headed down another hallway until we came to an open door and stepped inside.

I had never seen a more beautiful room. The walls were a deep rose color and the bed was covered in a rose and cream toile spread. One side of the room had a seating area with a butter-colored sofa and blue and cream striped chairs. The oriental rug was a rich mix of burgundy, rose, gold, and teal. Colorful vases full of fresh flowers sat on nearly every surface and the walls were adorned with framed paintings. Over the bed hung a huge watercolor of downtown Bob Temps. Judging from the cars and clothing on the people, it was somewhere from the mid 1940s.

The French doors opened to a terrace that overlooked the rose garden. The scent of roses filled the room. I could see the pool and outdoor kitchen with a fireplace beyond the gardens.

Eric opened the closet and it was full of clothes.

"These are for you, of course, but we can get your things from Bon Temps or buy whatever you choose. You certainly don't have to wear these if you don't care for them."

"Thank you," I said.

"And you can redecorate this room any way you'd like."

"I love it the way it is," I said.

He nodded and seemed happy with that answer. "I had hoped that would be the case."

"I've never seen a more beautiful room, Eric."

He nodded again and smiled, then reached for my hand. "Are you hungry, my love?"

"Yes, I am, as a matter of fact."

We went down to the dining room, which was warm and inviting in spite of its size. Eric held a chair out for me and I sat down. He sat beside me, just grinning at me until the door opened and the cook came in with my dinner.

She set a bowl of homemade chicken soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on hand painted Italian dinnerware in front of me as well as a coke in a cut crystal glass.

I thanked her before she left and then looked at Eric and thanked him as well.

He said, "I saw you choose this at the palace, and hoped you would like it."

"I love it." I squeezed his hand and began to eat.

"Of course, you can have whatever you like. Just tell the cook and she will prepare any food you'd like."

I ate my dinner and we talked about my schedule for reading humans that would begin the following night.

"But before you read anyone, you and I will drive down to Bon Temps to your brother's grave. You can also see your house and plan what you might want brought from there. You can see any friends you'd like, but of course, I'll have to accompany you."

"Okay," I said. "I'd like to see Sam, my old boss."

"As you wish."

"So, you're buying the property in Magnolia Grove?" I asked.

"Yes, and I have an architect who will design whatever house you'd like. I thought it would be a nice little vacation home for us, but as Sophie-Anne said, if you choose to live there without me, you may do so."

"I'm touched that you bought it."

"It's very special to me."

"I wouldn't want to live there without you, Eric."

"I hope that you don't, but of course, the choice is yours."

When I'd finished eating, Eric took me outside to show me the grounds.

We sat on a little bench beside a fountain and Eric put his arm around me. I hugged him and breathed in his scent.

"I can't thank you enough for getting me out of the palace, Eric."

"That's been my goal since the night you arrived there. I only wish I could have accomplished it sooner."

"I really didn't think the Queen would ever let me leave."

Eric removed his arm from my shoulder and took my hand in his as he turned to face me and said, "Sookie, I'm confident that you'll be happier here than in New Orleans, but I am also very much aware of the fact that you did not choose to live here with me. You did not choose me as your mate."

"I'm choosing you now," I said.

He smiled and touched my lips with his fingertip. "I love you so much, and hope to earn your love in return."

"You already have my love, Eric."

"I know, but I want you to continue to love me. To bond with me someday. To be my mate."

"I don't know what bonding means, Eric."

"Of course I will explain all that to you, but there's no rush. We'll make a life together here and grow together. I'll protect you and care for you just as you did for me in Magnolia Grove, and hopefully someday, you'll forget that you're here against your will, but will only feel at home and wish to be nowhere else."

"I already do, Eric. I could never go back to my life in Bon Temps after losing Jason. I want to live where you are. You're my home now."

"And you are mine."

We walked back to the house and went to our room together. We slowly undressed each other and made love. I forgot I had a care in the world when I was in Eric's arms, and as I lay on top of him, waiting for sleep to take me, I thought, it cost me dearly and it was a painful journey, but I had finally found peace and happiness. I'd found love, and with that I was ready to begin my new life—my life with Eric.

XXX

**A/N: Thank you so much to all of you who read/reviewed/favorited/alerted this story. You amaze and humble me.**

**If you didn't already know, I have been given the honor of posting the Weekly One-Shot Challenges. I'd like to take this opportunity to shamelessly plug the challenge thread. Please go to ****forum**** . fanfiction topic/55534/12658168/6/ (remove spaces around dots) and check it out. Don't forget to subscribe to the thread so you'll get alerts every time a new challenge or story is posted.**

**I've altered the rules a touch to encourage more writers to participate. I hope this will entice new writers to take the challenge as well. Also, please feel free to PM me with challenge ideas and suggestions.**

**I've posted a little ficlet myself for this week's challenge called Let's Talk About Sex. It's silly.**

**Update, January, 2014: I hope you'll check out my debut novel, Drop Dead Gorgeous by Suki McMinn, available on Amazon! Here's a little about it:**

**Drop Dead Gorgeous is a contemporary adult vampire romance, and Book 1 in the L.A. Vamps series. It's dramatic, sexy, and sometimes funny. **

**Derek Randall is an L.A. supermodel who's made a vampire, but longs to return to the life he loved. With the help of his true love, Clara, an unemployed modeling agent who's just getting used to being bitten, as well as his nest of hunky "brothers," he struggles to learn what it is to be a vampire. He and Clara launch his new modeling career, and Derek begins a dangerous game, trying to keep his evil maker, Madeline, at bay. Derek will sacrifice everything to save Clara—his career, his vampire brothers, and even his very existence. Love gives Derek more strength than dark magic ever could.**


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